The First Sight Curse
by The Rickaboo
Summary: He knew it was morally wrong, a businessman such as himself had no place falling in love with teenage girls. AU VincentxYuffie
1. When to say No

**Disclaimer: **I do not own FFVII, it belongs to Square-Enix. But I'm sure you already knew that.

**A/n: **So you know, this is basically the Turk version of Vincent. This story is Alternate Universe and will contain adult situations, language and maybe a little bit of violence, and a lot of Vincent+Yuffie. That aside, it's very dramatic, because I'm tired of writing action filled violence. I hope you like it, please review!

And I'm sorry I keep posting new stories instead of updating the old ones faster... I can't help it.

**Chapter One: When To Say No**

He knew she was going to be trouble the moment he saw her. Shoulder length black hair, small form, back arched as she held her face in her hands. She was trembling, obviously crying. People passed by, hardly casting a glance over the teenager as she sat there in the snow. Except him, he couldn't help it. He felt like he had seen her before, passing by the local high school. Maybe he had.

He stepped forward, breath catching in his throat as he watched her. The meaning of beauty. He felt that tell-tale pang go through his body and he groaned internally. His chest tightened and, as she lifted her face to look up at the coat he offered, he saw her bright grey eyes widen slightly. Her gaze shifted up towards his somber face and his mind was blank for a moment in wonder. Oh no, it couldn't be…

Love at first sight.

She blushed…

He stood above her, completely dignified. The cold expression on his face told her nothing except that she found him exceptionally handsome. He was well past her age, probably in his late twenties, she thought. She wouldn't take the coat, she couldn't. If she tried to lift her arm, she knew how badly it might shake in his presence. Perhaps if she just sat there he would get uncomfortable and leave.

He draped the coat around her shoulders and kneeled in front of her.

"You should go home." He said.

His voice made her shudder, it was deep and beautiful, like some kind of angel. But he was no angel, she could see the pain in his eyes. Those amazingly red eyes. He stared her down, not betraying the turmoil in his heart at that moment.

'_Just walk away, it would be for the best.'_

But he couldn't.

"I ran away." Her voice shook, but she had stopped crying. That, at least, made him feel better. A noise echoed up from inside him, a mixture between a knowing grunt and a hum, a sort of acknowledgement of the chaos she was about to bring into his life.

"This is terrible weather to run away in." He said softly, gaze not moving as she stared straight back at him.

An angry expression crossed her face as she tightened the heavy coat around her shoulders. A breeze blew past, barely shifting his short black hair. His tie fluttered around for a moment before he pulled it off angrily and shoved it in his pocket.

"I don't care. I'm not going back." She was determined. He sighed in defeat.

"What's your name?" His eyes widened at the question, it had been so long since anyone had asked that. He had assumed she would know.

"Vincent Valentine." He said softly, watching her with peaked interest.

"Good name. I'm Yuffie." She said letting him pull her up to her feet. She shivered as snow flakes began to fall around them again.

"Last name?" He didn't like being so informal as to simply call her 'Yuffie'.

"K- Kisaragi…" She mumbled. He barely caught it and when he did he could have laughed at the irony. He knew she was going to be trouble the moment he saw her. He knew it.

"I know your father." His deep voice boomed in her ear as she averted her gaze in shame.

"I hate him." She breathed, the anger evident on her face. It was snowing harder now and he looked up at the empty park around them.

"I understand." He whispered. Godo Kisaragi was head of his company's sales department. He could be a very obnoxious man.

They stood there for several minutes, secretly enjoying each other's company. A bell began to toll in the distance and Vincent knew it had hit midnight.

"I'll give you a ride. Where do you want to go?" He asked, glancing the young girl up and down. It was Friday night, she should be at a friend's house. Or something. Anywhere but here, this park could be dangerous at night.

"Can I go to your house?" She asked quietly. His heart leapt into his throat and he wished he could simply rip the damn thing out.

"If that is what you want." He knew it, this was going to be a disaster. She smiled up at him happily and his heart melted. She was too beautiful to deny…

**xXx**

Their footsteps echoed throughout the parking garage as they approached the sleek black car. Yuffie's eyes widened in disbelief and she stepped forward to run her fingers over the smooth surface.

"This is your car? How did you afford it?" He could sense the excitement in her voice, and smiled internally as her glittering eyes gazed up at him. He simply shrugged and unlocked it, holding the door open for her as she scrambled inside.

She was petting the seat cover when he sat down beside her and started it. Clipping on his seatbelt, he watched to make sure she did the same. It was his most cautious drive home he could remember.

She stared up in awe as she stepped out of the vehicle, it was the biggest mansion she had ever seen.

"Oh…" She breathed as he closed the door behind her. The entrance hall was almost as big as her entire house.

"How many people live here?" She murmured.

"Just me." She spun around to look at him, his face still expressionless. She opened her mouth slightly to say something, but thought better of it.

He watched her from the corner of his eye, her every movement was absolutely intoxicating. She pulled her hands up to her hair, gripping it as if it was in a ponytail. Her back arched and she stood on her tiptoes, stretching. He was getting heated and turned around to sort through the day's mail.

"If you want some different clothing, there's a dresser upstairs. Take a right at the top of the stairs and it's the second door on the left." He said, trying to ignore her presence behind him. He heard her footsteps pounding up the stairs and cursed himself for bringing her here.

The next time he saw her, she was curled up on his couch watching TV, some late night horror movie. She jumped when she saw him standing there, quickly sitting up and patting the seat next to her. He glanced at her new attire, a small white t shirt and baggy sweatpants, he couldn't even remember the last time he had fit into such small clothing.

"Come watch this with me, I bet you could use some relaxation!" She grinned at him and he couldn't resist. He sighed heavily, but took the seat beside her.

The expeditious was expiating to say the least. Everything she did he found charming. From her cute laugh, her gentle movements, the way she would gently hit his shoulder or knee, even the way she would jump when something startled her. He was falling in love with her, she was everything he had never imagined he would want in a woman. The worst part was, he was starting to not care about the consequences.

She caught him watching her with that look again, and she blushed. She didn't mean to, but she knew she was flirting with him. He was intimidating and she liked it. The boys she knew her own age were afraid of her, but he didn't seem to care at all. His hair fell over one eye, and she peered at him curiously. His skin was so pale, it looked fragile, but she could tell by his posture he could hold his own in a fight. You can't walk, talk, and move like that unless you have enough confidence to smite your enemies. She smiled to herself and he looked over at her suspiciously.

He was on edge as it was, and it was all he could do to hope that he didn't let anything happen tonight. She scooted closer and his hands tensed up in his lap.

"I've heard of you." She said with a smile. She leaned forward so he had to look at her.

"Dad used to talk about you, he said you were a stuck up, antisocial brat." She was still smiling as he stared at her.

"He said that?" He asked quietly. She nodded, leaning forward a little more.

He could smell the soft scent of lilies, it was filling his senses. He was shaking, and it was painfully obvious that she had an amazing impact on him. He leaned away from her, which only complicated the situation as she decided to simply crawl over his lap, this was way too much fun.

He could feel her soft lips brushing over his own, her light breath on his cheek as she decided how the evening was going to end. He felt paralyzed, unable to shift away or reply as she bit and nipped at his lower lip. She may have been far from shy, but he wasn't. A blush began to color his pale face and she grinned in satisfaction, moving her lips gently against his.

Closing his eyes dreamily, he realized that at some point he had opened his mouth for her, and she gently convinced him to respond. A shaky hand found its way to her hair and he wound his fingers through it blissfully. His hand shifted down her neck to her shoulder blades, and gracefully found its way down her slender back. Realization suddenly hit him and he pushed her back in horror. She wiggled away as he shoved her back onto the couch and jumped to his feet.

"What?" She asked nervously, digging her fingers into the couch cushion.

He shook his head. "How old are you?" She looked ashamed of herself and he stood in front of her.

"Sixteen…" She mumbled. Vincent cursed loudly.

"It's bad enough I could get arrested for even bringing you here." He said in a hushed tone. She looked hurt, but he didn't know what else to do.

"This was a mistake." He turned and left the room, walking quickly up the stairs.

**xXx**

Saturday, he didn't have to go in to work. He could spend the day regretting last night.

Dragging himself from the bed, an image of the girl ran through his mind. His heart ached, but he knew it wasn't right. It couldn't be, she was much too young for him. Wasn't she?

He walked downstairs, yawning and covering his eyes as the early morning sunlight shone in from the stained glass windows above the door. He was wearing sweatpants and a white tank top, forgetting about last night's guest. Wandering into the living room to turn on the news, he stopped in his tracks.

There she was, hair a mess and an arm had fallen off the cushion during the night. She was curled up on her stomach and shivering, Vincent could have punched himself. He rushed over to the cupboard and pulled out a thick fleece blanket. He put the blanket over her thin form and stepped back to look down at her. She was absolutely beautiful, he couldn't deny that. He reveled in her beauty for nearly an hour, perfectly content with crouching on the floor and watching her sleep. If he couldn't have her, he could at least watch her sleep.

As soon as she awoke, she dressed in her clothes from the night before and left. He watched her go from the second floor balcony, walking quickly down the street to the bus stop on the corner.

'_It's for the best, just let her go.' _

He had never felt so miserable in his life.

**xXx**

Monday was absolute hell, he went through the day on auto-pilot for the sake of his sanity. He really hated his job. It had been his father's final wish for him to take over the company.

"Hey, Mr. Valentine, I got the blueprints for the new office downtown."

"Sir, your noon appointment is here, and he's in a hurry."

"Mr. Valentine, could you sign this please?"

It was only one and he was ready to kill himself. The day was so rushed he hadn't even had time to get lunch. Stomping angrily down the hall to his office, he bumped into someone and spun around to see who it was that dared come so close to him.

"Oh, hey there, Vinnie." His heart nearly stopped at the sight.

"Mr. Kisaragi, good to see you." He nodded a greeting to the older man and waited for the casual response.

"How have you been? Have a good weekend?" He sipped from a mug of coffee and Vincent watched him nervously.

"It could have been worse I suppose. How are you?" The response was nearly automated.

Godo leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Do you know anything about kids?" He asked almost worriedly. Vincent looked at him in surprise.

"I can't say that I do, sir." He put his hands in his pockets and tried to relax.

Godo sighed heavily. "I've been having trouble with my daughter, I think she's just starting to hate me."

Vincent nodded knowingly. _'That's probably pretty close to it…' _She hadn't seemed very fond of her father when he last spoke with her.

"She keeps disappearing after we fight, I told her she wasn't allowed to have a boyfriend last night, and I haven't seen her since."

"Boyfriend?" Vincent asked with interest. Godo nodded.

"She came home the other night gushing about some guy she met over the weekend, said he was all sorts of wonderful. Naturally, I told her she couldn't see him and she just vanished." He shook his head, "I don't know what to do with her."

Vincent hummed, thinking to himself. "If there's one thing I can't handle it's women." he said, jokes were nearly mandatory in his business. Without them everything became too serious and fights would develop. Godo seemed to appreciate it, however, letting out a belly laugh before patting the young man on the back harshly.

"You're a good man, Vincent, you'll find her someday." He wandered away down the hall and Vincent watched him go, a new pain filling his chest.

'_She likes me.'_ He thought miserably. _'Great…'_

The rest of the day was filled with her smiling face, her soft voice in his head, images of her walking and laughing. No matter what he tried he couldn't get her out of his head.

'_How am I ever going to get through this?' _

He still had another hour until work was officially over, but he packed up his briefcase anyway and dashed out the door. He waved to his secretary as he left, and she leaped up in shock.

"But, Mr. Valentine! What about your four o'clock?" She seemed panicked and he waved it off.

"Reschedule, I have to get out of here before I lose my mind." He called over his shoulder. She nodded, but jumped as the phone beside her rang.

**End of Chapter One**_ Please review!_


	2. Want Versus Need

**Disclaimer: **FFVII belongs to Square-Enix. These things are so annoying.

**A/n:** I absolutely love writing this story. I know, I should be working on my other stories, but I needed a break. I'm trying a new approach with this story, so I'd really like to know what you think. It's probably going to wind up a bit lemony, so if you don't like that you might want to stop after this chapter…

Thanks so much for reviewing, it really made my day to know that people liked it!

**Chapter Two: Want Versus Need**

He drove by her high school everyday after that.

He saw her once, she watched him drive by. She didn't wave, but she watched him closely.

There was a message on his answering machine when he got home that night. It was the number for the Kisaragi residence. There were several moments of silence before the caller had slammed the phone down again.

He picked up the phone, staring at it for a long time before throwing it across the room yet again.

A week later, he had gotten several more silent phone calls and saw her leaving school again. He felt like someone had ripped out his soul. The only thing he had ever truly wanted was being held out in front of him, and he knew taking it would bring disaster. He was starving to death without her.

"What's the matter?"

Vincent looked up from his scribbled on piece of paper.

"Excuse me?"

The man before him shook his head, "You can't hide it from me, I know something's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong, Zack."

He waved a hand through the air. "Don't be stupid, just tell me."

Vincent leaned back and sighed heavily. There really was no point avoiding it.

"What if you knew what it was you had been looking for your whole life, only to find out that you couldn't have it?" he asked sharply, slamming the pen down on his desk.

Zack leaned back in his chair. "Hmm."

"I suppose I would find a way to take it." he said simply. Vincent rested his chin in his hand and stared at him blankly.

"What if taking it meant your entire life could change for the worst?" He lowered his voice in case anyone might be listening.

The man let out a deep laugh. "I get it, you found a girl." He looked at his boss slyly, shifting forward to rest his elbows on his knees again.

Vincent stared at him blankly.

"What? Is she like, a hooker or something? Already married? Might ruin your reputation?" Vincent slapped a hand to his face and leaned back in his chair. He picked up the pen and tapped it on the wooden desk anxiously.

"No, she's not a hooker, and she's definitely not married..."

Zack just grinned and cocked his head to the side.

"She might be…Underage." Vincent said quietly in defeat.

He glared at the spiky haired man as his eyes widened in disbelief and he let out a laugh.

"You're kidding!"

Vincent looked away. Zack scooted his chair closer to the desk in excitement. He thought this day would never come, his ice cold best friend had finally fallen for someone!

"Well do you love her?"

'_With all my miserable heart…'_

"Maybe."

Zack smirked at the older man.

"I'd go for it, but that's just me. Never was one to worry about consequences. Besides, she'll get older." He shook his spiky grey-black hair and looked down at his watch. "Anyway, I gotta go. I'm supposed to be in a meeting in ten minutes." He stood up and moved towards the door.

"And uh, good luck with that." He looked back at Vincent and grinned one last time before slipping out into the hall.

The rest of the day went smoothly enough. Only minimal amounts of time wasted thinking about her, he actually managed to get a little work done. The only real problem that arose was when the day ended and he stood at the edge of the park again. It was still blanketed in a thin layer of snow, with more on the way. He almost always parked his car in the parking garage on the other side so he could walk through here every day. He didn't get out much and the scent of the trees was very relaxing.

He thought he saw her once, darting around a tree up ahead. He thought he was starting so see things. Maybe it had been her, he wouldn't blame her for wanting to keep her distance.

There was another message on his machine when he got home. He sighed heavily as he looked down at it.

"Hey Vinnie, my girl's high school is having a barbeque at the campground this Saturday at noon. It would be great to see you there, I know you don't get out much!" The machine beeped and Godo's voice filled his head. He was always inviting him to go somewhere, trying to get him to leave his mansion and socialize. Maybe, just this once, he would do it. But then again, that could be a very bad idea…

**xXx**

He saw her the moment he parked his car, standing with her friends beside the barbeque, she was laughing. There was a scarf wrapped around her delicate neck, covering her chin. He couldn't help it, he had to stare. He tried to tear his eyes away from her beautiful smiling face, but he couldn't. She glanced over, recognized him, looked away, faked a laugh. Her face went pale as he stepped out of the car.

He walked past her nonchalantly, glancing back. Their eyes met for a split second, a blush colored her face, his heart skipped a beat. He turned back to find her father and he could hear her friends giggling at her reaction to him.

Godo appeared up ahead, talking to who he assumed was a teacher. He smiled widely when he noticed Vincent standing there, opening an arm and patting his back. He plastered on a fake smile as he was introduced to several people.

He joined in on a lively conversation, it would keep people from trying to ask him stupid questions. Smiling and nodding in accordance to the topic, his eyes wandered back to the barbecue, where the girl still stood watching him.

Yuffie Kisaragi, she could rain hell down on him.

He stayed for an hour, forcing himself to socialize with the parents and teachers. Finally saying his farewells, he turned to leave in relief. There were several teens admiring his car when he got back to the parking lot, and he realized with horror that she was among them.

His stomach dropped out in apprehension as he pulled out his keys and approached the vehicle. Their eyes met yet again and the corner of her mouth lifted up. He nodded politely to her, letting their eyes stay locked perhaps a moment longer than he should have. It was an internal war to leave her there like that and simply drive away. He wished he could have stayed longer, anything to be near her. But if he had stayed for another ten minutes he may have done something he'd regret.

**xXx**

Yuffie stared down at the paper, transfixed by her own drawing. She had long since finished her test and was now waiting patiently for the bell to ring and let her go home to her father, so he could scream at her for not doing his laundry, or for skipping the dishes last night, or something.

She often wondered exactly why he had gone to that school barbeque. Was it to see her, or was he really only there because her father had asked him to go? She saw him drive by her school sometimes, even though it didn't make any sense. It added an extra four miles to his trip every evening to drive past her school, was he really that bored?

"You don't have a chance, Kisaragi." A voice drawled behind her ear. She cast a dark glare behind her to the blonde's sneering face.

"Fuck off Elena." She growled, shoving the drawing in her backpack.

"My boyfriend works for him, he could buy a better looking girl than you." She giggled rudely. Yuffie spun around to retaliate, but the bell rang and she leapt to her feet instead. Throwing her backpack over her shoulder, she stomped out of the classroom and out the front doors, lost in the crowd of rushing students.

The older girl's remark stuck in her head as she walked along. Glancing up sharply, she stopped. A car drove past. She sighed heavily, it wasn't him.

She may never get his attention, but she could dream anyway.

**xXx**

Somehow, he had survived another week. He stared up at the ceiling of his office, laying on his couch miserably with his coat tucked behind his head. A gentle knock sounded at the door and before he could answer Zack slid in.

"Hey man, people are really starting to worry." he said, taking a seat in the chair by his desk.

"Whatever your problem is, you've got to sort it out, the company's gonna start to suffer." He sounded worried, but not for the company.

Vincent hummed softly, gazing across the room to his friend.

"We could go out for drinks, try to fix everything." Zack said, trying to cheer him up. Vincent sat up and put his head in his hands.

"I need to go…" he said, pulling his coat back on. Zack looked up at him and sighed.

"Alright, just don't do anything stupid." Vincent ignored him, rushing out the door and leaving work early yet again.

He sat in his car for a long time, his arm resting on the steering wheel as he looked out across the dimly lit garage. He went through the motions, turning on the car, directing it out of the parking garage, stopping at a light down the street.

Vincent could see the high school up ahead again. These detours he kept taking really were pathetic. He cursed at himself as he noticed her up ahead, standing with several teens on the sidewalk inside the parking lot. She was talking to someone, a brunette he recognized from the barbeque. For how cold the weather was, she hadn't bothered to wear anything more that a thin coat.

She saw him, the flip of her hair, the uncomfortable stance she took up. She was painfully aware of his presence once again, and before he knew it, he had pulled into the parking lot and stopped right beside her.

She hesitated, her friends stared in shock. And she climbed in the car.

He didn't look at her, he couldn't. If he tried to look into that face, he might just lose it right then and there. She was nervous, her hands were clasped together and she stared down at them.

The drive was short and he pulled through the gate into his driveway. Of course, he opened the door for her, but he couldn't look at her.

She followed him into the spacious mansion, gazing up at the ceiling high above her head. It seemed like a horribly lonely place to live, but then again, Vincent didn't seem much like a people person to her. He was the kind of guy that always stood in the back if he could, though the opportunity to step out of the spotlight was rare.

Yuffie dropped her backpack and coat on the floor and watched him disappear into the kitchen. She followed him a moment later, only to find him seated anxiously on a stool beside the long countertop. He rested his head in his hands and she cautiously approached him.

"Are you alright?" She asked softly. He didn't respond, so she stepped forward and put a tentative hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Valentine?" He spun around in his seat and grabbed her hand, grasping it gently but firmly, he stared up into her eyes.

"Please. Please, just call me Vincent." His voice was pleading, she could tell he was having trouble with something. She didn't seem frightened at all, he knew she should be. He admired that. Standing up, he suddenly realized how tall he really was next to her. That did absolutely nothing for his guilty conscience.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, gazing down at her softly. She shook her head.

"Come on…" She took his hand and gave him a shy smile, leading him through the house to the living room. He turned the TV on for her and she sat down, pulling him down with her. There were some old cartoon playing, and he watched with interest for several moments before gathering the courage to talk to her.

The light from the TV danced off her pale face, lighting up her features. She smiled at something and he drank it in. Unable to stop himself, he reached a hand out and touched her cheek. She flinched slightly, but didn't pull away from him. His fingers seemed large and clumsy compared to her delicate neck, and he gently brushed them along her throat before letting them slip through several strands of her soft black hair. The corner of her mouth lifted and she blushed. He realized with that shy movement that she was afraid to return such a gesture. He didn't deserve her affection after shoving her away like that.

How could he have believed anything about this was wrong?

This was exactly what he had wanted for so long, ever since he had first seen her. All he wanted to do was kiss her soft neck, drag his hands through her hair. He wanted to worship her, take her away and just be with her forever. She shuddered beneath him and he realized he had nearly pinned her against the couch. He didn't know what was more alarming, that he had been unaware that he'd done it, or that she looked so enthusiastic.

She dug her fingers into his shirt, keeping him poised above her as she lay on her back on the couch. Her gentle breath fluttered against his collarbone and he didn't dare move.

"What is it that you want from me?" He asked softly, unsure if it was an offer or an accusation. She looked up into his crimson eyes, her face blank.

"I feel like I know you. Everything you do feels so familiar." She whispered, as if it was a great secret.

His brow furrowed in contemplation. Such feeling were ridiculous, though he had to admit she seemed familiar to him as well.

"Why have you been watching me?" She asked daringly, staring him down as he refused to look away.

He didn't want to respond. Such an explanation might send her screaming back home again.

A deep growl resonated in his throat and she stared at him in surprise. Before she could even react, he had forced his mouth down over hers, biting gently at her soft lips. She slowly began to respond as he shoved her mouth open.

He pulled back, staring down at her with wide eyes and slightly parted lips. Something stirred deep within him, responding savagely to her very scent. She watched him calmly as he sat back and let her breath.

"No one has even made me feel this way before…" He said quietly, holding a hand to his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

He didn't get a chance to finish as she crawled forward and straddled his hips. She brushed her lips over his neck, making his muscles tense at the sensation. She grazed her teeth over his skin, nipping down and making him flinch in slight pain. Gazing down into his deep red eyes, she offered him a small smile. The corner of his mouth twitched in an attempt to return the gesture, and he ran his hand through her hair instead. Her hands wandered down his chest, exploring the muscles under the coarse shirt he had worn to work. He had relaxed at her touch until her hands drifted too low, and he grabbed them gently as a light blush began to color his usually pale face.

"I can't." He said gently in her ear. She looked into his eyes again.

"Why not?" Her brow furrowed and he had to close his eyes to keep from thinking up creative ways to get that pout off her face.

"You're in high school." He stated, climbing to his feet. She looked really hurt this time, and he felt a pain go through his heart that he'd never felt before.

"Please don't be upset. Look, things are really complicated. I could go to jail just for having you here in my home." He kneeled down in front of her and she refused to meet his gaze.

"I don't really know you, I feel like I should, but I don't. Okay, let's just…" She looked angry now and he took her hand and kissed it. "Let's go out, I'll buy you dinner, we can get to know each other better. Then we'll figure things out, alright?" She seemed a little happier with that thought, and when he helped her to her feet she smiled again.

He couldn't blame her for wanting to rush things, they were in an extremely precarious situation. He had wanted for so long to be here with her like this, he almost couldn't believe that they were really together. As he watched her walk ahead of him, he noticed the curves of her hips, her thin waist leading up to that petite chest. His eyes trailed back down and when she turned around to see if he was following, she noticed him watching her body move.

His eyes snapped back up to her face and she gave him a teasing grin, after which she playfully stuck out her tongue. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to rip her clothes off and throw her down on the floor of the foyer. The presence deep within him stirred at the thought. As she turned back around again to grab her coat, he slipped his arms around her waist and contented himself with simply kissing the back of her neck as she leaned in to him.

**End of Chapter Two**_ Please review!_


	3. Hiding Reality

**Disclaimer: **FFVII belongs to Square-Enix!

**A/n: **I suddenly have so much planned for this story, it's going to be interesting to see how it goes. I know it's kind of confusing right now, but it's going to make sense eventually.

Thanks for all the support, everybody! Please review!

**Chapter Three: Hiding Reality**

Yuffie didn't complain as he drove out onto the highway. Face pressed up against the window, her eyes were wide as she watched the scenery fly by around them. She had curled up in the comfortable front seat beside him and was acting more or less like a puppy on their first car trip.

"Never been to this side of town?" Vincent asked softly, glancing over at her and she turned her wide, eager eyes on him.

"Where are we going?" She asked curiously as they pulled out onto the highway and the buildings abruptly ended as they entered the tree line through the valley.

"You're very trusting." He observed. She shrugged and let out a small laugh.

"If you were going to do anything to me, you would have back at your house." She sat cross legged on the seat, leaning forward towards the windshield. The sun was beginning to set and she gazed out the window at the orange and pink tinted snow.

"Why are we leaving the city?" She asked curiously, snapping her attention back over to his somber face.

He didn't know quite how to explain it, all the ways he had run through it in his head came out sounding more like excuses than precautions. He looked over at her for a moment and she caught a sad glint in his beautiful crimson eyes.

"I'd rather if no one we knew saw us together…" He said awkwardly. Yuffie pouted at him.

"You're ashamed of me!" She cried, a look of rejection crossing her face.

His eyes widened in horror and he glanced over at her. "No! I just- It's…" Yuffie burst out laughing and rested her head on his shoulder as he drove down the highway.

"I'm just picking on you, really." She said, grinning to herself as he wound a somewhat nervous arm around her shoulders. She was getting more comfortable around him, he wasn't sure if he was ready for that…

Once again, Yuffie's face was pressed up against the window as they drove through the city closest to theirs. The tall buildings around them were old and decorative, a nice change from the serious tone their own city gave off. Strings of lights were strung up all around the town, lining buildings and draping from trees. The sun had disappeared from the sky, leaving a faint glow behind in the darkness.

"What do you want for dinner?" Vincent asked, looking around at the restaurants lining the street. Yuffie looked at him in shock and brought her hands up, waving nervously.

"Oh, no, you don't have to get me anything fancy! We can go for fast food, I don't mind." She smiled at him, and he gave her a suspicious glance as he drove down the street.

"I've never had fast food." He said plainly. Yuffie looked at him in horror.

"Your parents never bought you any fast food?" She had a hard time believing that…

"It's hardly food, Ms. Kisaragi." He mumbled, leaning to the side to see the street up ahead. Yuffie stomped her foot on the floor in irritation.

"It's Yuffie!" She grumbled, crossing her arms over her thin chest.

"We can get Chinese food." he said, ignoring her. She turned her attention to the small Chinese restaurant up ahead and clapped her hands happily.

"Let's get it to go and then we can go see the town while we eat!" She was excited and it was painfully obvious. He complied, however, and she waited patiently in the car until he returned with her order.

Two hours later, they sat parked along the waterfront and looked out over the river. Colorful lights glimmered off the water, casting a beautiful glow around them. Yuffie had curled herself up in Vincent's lap and he held his arms around her protectively. Empty Chinese food boxes littered the floor of the back seat.

"I should take you home…" He said softly, brushing his lips along her ear. She twisted around in his grip to look into those eyes she was starting to love so much.

"Should… But you don't have to." She gave him a cheeky grin and the corner of his mouth lifted up.

"If your father finds out-" She stopped him with a kiss, brushing her hand up to his neck and running her fingers over his smooth skin. He felt a jolt go down his spine as gazed down at her in wonder as she leaned back again.

"He'll have me to deal with." She said simply, resting her head against his chest. His heartbeat whispered in her ear and she grinned to herself as she heard it quicken with a gentle brush of her fingers against his stomach.

She had never been keen on a relationship with anyone, but Vincent could bring all those feelings out of her that she'd been trying for so long to avoid. She had never even found the physical aspects of a relationship appealing until she had met him. A simple touch could bring out all those feelings she had tried to hide, his kiss was like poison to her self control.

**xXx**

The door slammed behind her as she gazed up at the ceiling of the mansion once again. Slipping off her coat, she tossed it aside to where her backpack still sat. Vincent brushed past her to the stairs and slowly started up towards the second floor. Yuffie hesitated for a second before following. He walked down the hall and entered a door at the end, glancing over his shoulder as the girl bounced after him. He took off his shirt and dug around in his closet for a new, more comfortable one. He heard Yuffie pause in the doorway as she noticed him changing.

He expected her to disappear again to give him some privacy, but she bounded over onto his large bed and flopped down on her stomach to watch him. He couldn't tell if she was shy or not.

"You can stay in a guest room if you would like." he said, his deep voice echoing across the room to her.

"Okay." She said, a distant look crossing her face as she examined the sleek, defined muscles of his chest. 'I can't sleep in here with you?' She thought to herself. Her face darkened almost instantly, and Vincent noticed the blush from the back of the closet. Deciding he probably didn't want to know, he turned his attention back to pulling on a pair of loose sweatpants as Yuffie buried her face in a blanket in embarrassment.

He made his way over to the bed, and Yuffie looked up in surprise as he took a seat beside her and rested a hand on her slender back.

"Don't you just get in more trouble for disappearing?" he asked suddenly. Yuffie's face fell and she rested her chin on the blanket.

"Sometimes…" She muttered.

He knew chances were high that she would get in trouble this time. As far as he knew, Godo had done nothing to upset her, so she had no real reason to avoid going home. His conscience weighed heavily on him as he held her in his arms again, looking out the window at the falling snow.

**xXx**

Vincent watched miserably from the car window as she walked down the street and disappeared around the corner. It had taken him all morning to convince her to go home. He was terrified that if she stayed near him too long he would lose control.

His hand gripped the steering wheel mercilessly as she disappeared from sight. The presence deep within him stirred in anger at her absence.

After half an hour, sitting there in hopes that maybe she would come back, he gave up and drove away. He didn't want to go home, so he drove out of town, taking the back roads out across the farmland that scattered the outskirts.

'_Would you really throw your life away to be with that girl?'_

Vincent growled at the thoughts running through his head, but he needed to sort this out. He loved her, he knew that the moment he first saw her tearstained face staring up at him from her seat in the snow. There was just something about her that drove him crazy. Her face, the gentle scent of lilies, the happy atmosphere that emanated from her very being, everything down to the way she moved.

'_She's sixteen years old, her father works for you, and you could go to jail just for touching her.' _

His teeth ground together in frustration. If it was even possible to live without her at this point the didn't think he wanted to try. He couldn't remember ever being so clingy, but he felt like if he didn't take the chance it would vanish. He needed her, as much as he hated to admit it.

**xXx**

Yuffie was walking down the hall at school when she noticed the disgusted glare she was getting from Elena. She tried to ignore it, opening her locker and depositing some books inside. She was just reaching into her backpack again when someone hit her from behind, slamming her against the locker. Yuffie spun around in anger, just in time to watch Elena give her a dirty smile.

"Oops." She said simply, disappearing into the crowd of students.

Class was no better, since the irritating blonde sat right behind her. She whispered back and forth with her best friend through the first half of class. Yuffie tried to focus on the book work in front of her, but couldn't ignore it when they whispered her name and began giggling all over again.

"_I heard she's been sleeping with one of the owners of the Shinra Corp."_

"_You're kidding!"_

"_Dead serious! She's turned into such a little hooker!" _

More giggling and Yuffie's grip on her pencil tightened dangerously.

"_Maybe someone should report him. I don't care how rich you are, taking advantage of neglected teenage girls is just disgusting!" _

Yuffie rolled her eyes. _'You're boyfriend is like, 22...' _She growled in her head. _'Besides, I couldn't care less if he was dirt poor.'_

"Hey, Yuffie. How much does he pay you?" The brunette snickered. When she didn't answer, Elena crumpled up a piece of notebook paper and threw it at her.

Both girls jumped and gasped in surprise when Yuffie suddenly spun around and smacked it in midair, flinging it back and making it hit Elena square in the forehead. Turning to face forward again, she set her hands on the table and stared down at her desk.

'_How did I do that..?' _She looked down at her hands, they were shaking.

"Yuffie was a ninja in another life." Elena muttered. The giggling broke out again and the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

'_Yeah, well, you were a bitch, I'm sure.' _Yuffie thought darkly, shoving her textbook back in her bag and rushing out the door.

She stood miserably on the corner, watching kids run past her in after school excitement. Several couples walked by, hand in hand or with their arms around each other as they made their way home. Glancing down the street, she shivered. Home was that way. Taking a deep breath and wrapping her arms around herself to try and fight off the cold, she started walking in the opposite direction.

**xXx**

Vincent sighed, shrugging off his coat in exhaustion and letting it fall to the floor. He dropped his briefcase next to it and trudged into the kitchen. He took a seat behind the counter and rested his head on his crossed arms.

What a horrible day. It was well past six in the evening already, he should have been out of the office two hours ago. A noise in the doorway startled him, and he looked up wearily.

"Yuffie, what are you doing here?" He mumbled, pushing himself up to his feet. He moved around the corner of the counter and she rushed over to him. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. He returned the hug and gave her a kiss on top of her head.

"I just wanted to see you." She said quietly.

"Did you walk all the way here?" He asked. She nodded and he sighed.

"I could have given you a ride." He said, releasing her and stepping back to hold her hands. She shrugged.

"I didn't have a phone." She bounced in place for a moment as she stared up at him. He hesitated as he moved towards the hall.

"How did you even get in?" Vincent asked curiously. Yuffie grinned and tried to look innocent.

"I memorized the security code." She chirped. He nodded and made an acknowledging hum, walking past her into the hall.

Yuffie scurried after him, bounding up the stairs as he climbed up to the second floor. He paused at the top and she slammed into him. Glancing over his shoulder at her, her face flushed slightly.

"How was your day?" She looked up when his deep voice resonated around her. Mind going blank for a moment, she narrowed her eyes and pouted.

"Miserable!" She declared, following him closely as he walked into the room next to his.

"What was so bad about it?" He tried to keep the conversation flowing, thought talking wasn't exactly his greatest skill. Yuffie gazed around in awe at the shelves of plants lining the room. The back wall was a huge window, letting in sunlight for his collection of small trees and potted plants. She walked forward and took the leaf of a small tropical tree in her hands, rubbing it gently as she looked at the small, leafy plants on a shelf beside it.

"This girl in my class knows about us, she's really stuck up." She mumbled as she turned to watch him turn on a faucet in the corner and begin watering the plants. He picked up a watering jug and began to fill it again as he listened to Yuffie talk.

"Anyway, she's a total bitch about it. She's telling all her friends how I'm such a hooker and you pay me and stuff." She stared at him in disbelief when a deep laugh nearly escaped his lips.

"What's so funny?" She demanded, tapping a foot and resting her hands on her hips as she glared at him.

Before she could even react, he had appeared at her side, his breath tickling her ear playfully as he leaned down over her.

"You are over reacting." He breathed, kissing her gently when she tried to argue.

"But she says she's dating someone that works in your office." Yuffie gasped when he released her again.

Vincent waved it off. "Would you want to spread a rumor about someone who had the power to bring your world crashing down around you? If he were to speak out about it and I found out it was him… Let's just say being fired by me is considered a mark of shame." She relaxed as his arms wound around her again.

"But what if he tells my father out of 'concern'?" She asked softly as he gazed down at her. He brushed the tip of his nose over her cheek and inhaled the sweet scent of lilies her hair radiated.

"It's best not to worry about it." He said simply, and he was gone. Yuffie stared ahead in shock when she realized he was across the room again, filling the water bucket as if nothing had ever happened.

**End of Chapter Three**


	4. Given the Chance

**Disclaimer: **FFVII belongs to Square-Enix…

**A/n: **Wow, I have been so busy lately. I'm sorry this update took so long, the next one should be much faster. This story is really getting fun to write.

**Chapter Four: Given the Chance**

"So how'd it go with your girl?"

Vincent looked up sharply as Zack appeared, hovering over his desk curiously. He glanced around the younger man to make sure the door was closed.

"Can you at least pretend you don't know about it?" Vincent asked, setting aside a stack of papers and glancing up at the man. He shrugged and sat down in the chair across from the desk.

"So? Any exciting new developments?" He winked at his boss slyly and Vincent sighed.

"No." He said flatly, digging around in his file cabinet.

"Aww, come on, I called your house on Friday looking for you, but you weren't home." He leaned forward curiously.

"I was here, remember, you left early." He said, trying to avoid what he knew his closest friend was going to pry out of him. Zack snorted.

"Your cell phone was turned off and you didn't answer your office phone either." He pointed out, crossing his arms.

Vincent ignored him for several minutes as he shifted folders around and took out records.

"You got lucky, huh?" His eyes shot over to the nosy man in front of his desk and he stared at him in horror.

"We went out and got dinner, that's all." he said firmly. Zack grinned.

"I'm sure."

He didn't get a chance to respond when a knock sounded at the door and a blonde man peeked inside.

"Mr. Highwind, right on time." Vincent spoke up, gesturing towards a chair sitting near the window. Zack leaned back in interest to watch them.

"What was it you wanted to see me about?" The man asked nervously.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble." Zack replied seriously, leaning over to pick up a piece of paper sitting on top of Vincent's desk. The blonde took a seat and glanced between the two men nervously. He held a toothpick in his mouth and shifted it back and forth.

"Your presentation yesterday was very impressive." Vincent said, glancing down at a blueprint for an airship.

The blonde immediately relaxed in his seat, a pleased grin crossing his features. "Thank you, sir, I put my heart and soul into that airship."

"Yes, that's very clear. I've never seen such a well done blueprint." Zack smiled over at him, holding up a copy Vincent had given him.

"I'm putting you in charge of the project." Vincent said simply, slamming the folder down on the table as his stomach began to growl. Highwind stared at him in shock and Zack's gaze snapped over to him.

"You are?" Zack blinked in surprise. Vincent nodded.

"Yes, congratulations. You are going to be head of Shinra Corps new aeronautics program." he handed the man a thick folder and he stared down at it in disbelief.

"I've been looking for a man that knows how to do the job right, and since you've been with the company for so long I'm going to give you a chance." The phone beside him rang and he cursed under his breath.

"Excuse me." he muttered, picking up the phone. "Zack can get you filled in on everything, thanks for your time." Highwind rushed forward to shake his hand, thanking him discreetly before moving out of the room after Zack.

"What is it? I'm at work." He spun around in his chair and leaned towards the ground, speaking quietly.

"I want to go see a movie, please?" The gentle voice came through the phone and Vincent sighed. "Come on, you've been at work long enough!" Her voice sounded pleading and bored and he knew from how it was wavering that she was probably bouncing in place as she talked to him.

"Yuffie, I've got some things I need to finish up here." He said softly. She sighed sadly.

"Can't you just hire someone to finish it for you?" She asked. The corner of his mouth turned up and he was silent for a moment.

"Where are you?" He finally asked.

"I can meet you at my school." She replied happily.

"Okay, I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

His secretary watched helplessly as he walked past her. She was about to object, but changed her mind and just said goodbye.

**xXx**

She was standing there alone when he pulled up along the curb. Snow was falling softly around the car and she scrambled inside. Yuffie shivered violently and rubbed her hands together, pulling her gloves off and shoving her frozen hands over the heater vent.

"Cold?" Vincent asked. She let out a huff and pressed her hands against his face. He flinched back and she giggled.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked. She leaned against him as she rubbed her hands over the heater again.

"The movie theatre downtown." She said softly. That was a popular theatre, _'Why would she want to go there? There are plenty of other, less crowded places to go.' _He thought to himself.He simply nodded and kissed her forehead.

The theatre wasn't far, and Yuffie was quiet throughout the entire ride. She stared out the window, twisting a piece of paper in her hands nervously. It seemed like she didn't even notice when they pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop under a tree.

"What's wrong?"

She jumped when his deep voice reached her ears, and spun around to give him a forced smile.

"Nothing, I'm just worried about how I did on my test today. I didn't study." She rushed to put her coat back on as he opened his door and stepped out. He knew she was lying, but pressing her with questions wouldn't help.

He locked the car as she stepped out and hurried after him, clasping her hands together in front of her mouth.

"Why don't you wear a real coat and some gloves?" He asked, eyeing her as she shivered beside him, walking quickly to keep up with his long stride.

"I don't have a better coat." She said, as if it was obvious. He stared down at her in surprise, but she rushed forward to buy their tickets.

He walked over to her and tapped her shoulder, and when she looked up at him he handed her some money. She stared at him awkwardly for a moment.

"It's not right for you to pay, please." He said honestly. She hesitated, but took the money and put her own wallet away.

Vincent wandered over to the front doors while he was waiting for her, and she quickly appeared by his side again, smiling happily. She pulled on his coat, dragging him into the theatre with her, and he took one last look around to make sure no one he knew was watching. She didn't stop to get anything in the lobby, but dragged him down the hall to the room where their movie was showing.

He wondered for a moment what she was really up to, until they walked through the doors into the dimly lit theatre. His eyes widened slightly as she took his hand and led him right out across the floor. _'I get it now…' _He groaned internally as several nearby girls stopped giggling to stare down at them from their seats.

"Oh, hey Yuffie." He looked up in horror at the nasty female voice, his gaze drifting from her to the man seated beside her.

"Mr. Valentine? What are you doing here?"

He slowly looked back down at Yuffie, a stern look crossing his features for a moment. She looked so hopeful, he sighed. It was to be expected, he had known when he got into this mess that she was still a teenage girl. Her eyes pleaded with him and he finally gave in, squeezing her hand. _'I could get in so much trouble if he tells anyone.'_

"Nothing, Rufus, just taking the lady out to see a movie." He said briskly, his red eyes flashing at the younger man threateningly. He leaned back in his seat slightly as he stared down at his boss, and Vincent noticed the girl beside him glaring daggers at Yuffie. _'I should have known it was something like this.'_

"Did you get that project done for Zack yet? He needs it by next week if you want on the airship project." He said, taking Yuffie's coat as she sat down.

Rufus nodded nervously. "Yeah, I should have it done within the next couple of days." He said quickly. Vincent nodded and offered the boy a malicious grin, getting his point across as he took the seat beside Yuffie. She smiled happily, leaning her head down on his shoulder as the lights dimmed even more and the previews began.

"Now you really owe me." He whispered softly in her ear. She smiled.

"Oh yeah? What should I do in return?" She said teasingly, trailing a hand down his chest. She reached a little too low and he jumped, grabbing her hand. He looked over at her sharply, but she let out a hushed giggled and curled up in her seat to watch the previews.

**xXx**

"Thanks you, that was really great." She said happily, leaning over to kiss his cheek as he started the car again. She quickly drew back and wrapped her arms around herself as the heater started blowing cold air on her.

"You're welcome." he replied, gazing at her softly as the car started to warm up.

"Now what?" She asked curiously as she draped her thin coat over her shoulders. Vincent just gave her a blank look as he pulled out into traffic. Yuffie glanced out the window, watching the buildings go by as they sped down the street.

"Hey, where are we going?" She pouted over at him as he refused to answer, staring straight ahead as he changed lanes and started to turn.

"You'll see." He said calmly. She crossed her arms and sat back in her seat.

Yuffie stared up in shock as they pulled into the enormous parking lot. She pressed her face up against the window as he parked the car and looked over at her.

"What are we doing here?" She asked suspiciously as he opened the door.

"You need a new coat." He said simply, stepping out and letting the cold air rush into the car as Yuffie hesitated. She quickly dashed out of the car and he followed her as she ran to the mall entrance.

An hour later, Vincent leaned against the wall as he waited for Yuffie to come out of the dressing room.

"I feel silly." She mumbled, hugging herself as she slowly crept out of the dressing room. She was wearing long jeans, and a green long sleeved shirt under a thicker black shirt.

"You look wonderful." Vincent replied, taking several articles of clothing she had finally accepted and tossing them in the cart with a black and white winter coat, several pairs of gloves, another pair of jeans, and two long sleeved shirts. Yuffie shrugged and wandered back out of the changing room, holding the outfit she had just been wearing. She tossed it into the cart and smiled up at Vincent.

"You really don't have to buy me new clothes, you know." She said softly, brushing her fingers over his hand.

"The way you dress you'll freeze to death before Christmas." He said, moving back towards the exit again.

"Did you just tease me?" She stared at him in shock and he didn't respond.

"Is there anything else you need?" He asked, gazing down at her as they walked towards the checkout. She shook her head and smiled up at him.

Several minutes later, Yuffie clutched a heavy bag in her hand, and walked along nervously as they headed back towards the exit. She felt guilty, but how was she supposed to get new clothes? Her father certainly wasn't about to spend money on her, and she barely had any money herself. She glanced up at him, expecting him to look troubled, or angry, or _something_, but he seemed perfectly calm. He opened the door for her as she climbed back into the car. He climbed into the driver's seat and glanced over at her.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

He stared over at her for a moment. His hand slowly reached up, brushing past her shoulder to tangle itself in her hair. Her heart started to pound in her ears as he pulled her towards him. Their lips touched and she held her breath. It was amazing what he could do to her. She blushed as his tongue flicked over her bottom lip, coaxing her to open her mouth for him. She obliged, and all too soon it was over again. He had leaned back, starting the car as she sat there, melting from his touch.

They were parked down the street from her house now, she had hardly been aware the entire drive over. He leaned over and kissed her again, taking pride in the blissful look that came over her face. Vincent watched as she forced herself to climb out of the car, pulling on her new coat and grabbing the shopping bag.

"Yuffie." He called out before she closed the door. She leaned back in curiously as he handed her something.

She stared down at the sleek new cell phone in surprise before her eyes shot back up to his face.

"It's prepaid, call me if you need anything." He said simply, and she leaned in to hug him before hurrying down the street to her house.

**xXx **

The door clicked closed behind her as she slid into the quiet house. She quickly crept upstairs and threw open her bedroom door, depositing the heavy shopping bag in the corner before going back down to the kitchen to find food.

She had just finished her sandwich and closed the refrigerator door when Godo appeared in the living room, arms crossed angrily as he watched her.

Yuffie jumped when she noticed him there, holding a hand to her chest in shock.

"Where have you been?" Godo demanded, staring her down as she slowly crept forward.

"I was out with some friends, we saw a movie and went to that mall, nothing big." She said casually, resting a hand on the countertop and not wanting to get any closer to her father.

"Don't lie to me, you were out with your new boyfriend." He growled harshly. Yuffie cringed internally, this was going to be bad.

"Is that where you go when you run away? You run off to fuck around with some worthless little shit." He said, his voice booming in Yuffie's ears as she gritted her teeth.

"He's not worthless, he treats me a hell of a lot better than you do!" She cried, slamming her fist down on the countertop angrily.

"You need to grow up, Yuffie, you can't just run away when you're upset, you're going to get hurt!" He said loudly, his voice already hurting Yuffie's ears.

"Like hell, if I stay here you'll just scream at me more! Maybe if you could act like a decent person I wouldn't hate to be around you so much! You're just fucking pissed off because I look so much like mom. But hell, maybe she just killed herself to get away from you! Where you a total prick to her, too?" Yuffie shrieked, she really wasn't in the mood for another one of her father's stupid battles.

"I don't even understand what your problem with me is, if you hate me being here so much why don't you just let me go?!"

Godo stared at her in fury as she stomped her foot and tears started to appear in her eyes. She wiped them away angrily as he just started screaming at her some more, and she turned and ran from the room. She took the stairs two at a time as she dashed back into her room and slammed the door. She threw herself on her bed and punched her pillows angrily. Why did he always have to pick fights with her? Why did he always have to act like she was the worst thing the planet had ever seen?

She could hear him stomp up the stairs behind her, he paused in front of her door before continuing down the hall to the computer room. She punched her pillow until her arms hurt from the strain, then she collapsed in a heap on her bed.

The clock ticked obnoxiously from the wall and she glared up at it. 11:30. _'I don't want to be here anymore…'_

She quickly packed some clothing and supplies into her school backpack, put on her new coat, and opened her window. Crawling out onto the roof ledge, she closed the window and carefully climbed along the roof to the balcony. Snow still covered the roof, making it slippery, so she moved carefully. She climbed along the balcony railing until she reached the tree in the backyard, then she climbed onto a tree limb and made her way down to the yard.

She looked up at the tree and shivered, the winter weather was certainly settling in. Feeling in her pocket, she pulled out the phone Vincent had given her only a couple of hours earlier.

**End of Chapter Four** _Please review!_


	5. Don't Stop

**Disclaimer: **FF7 belongs to Square-Enix.

**A/n: **Sorry this update took so long, I've been really, insanely busy. Anyway, this chapter is for you awesome reviewers who reminded me why I love writing this story! You know who you are!! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed!

And it's four in the morning!

And so no one gets angry, this chapter is pretty much all inappropriate for children, I'm sure you can guess why. If it bothers you then I suggest just not reading this whole chapter. Ha-ha, oh man… The next chapter will have more story to it.

**Chapter Five: Don't Stop**

Yuffie gazed down at her hands meekly, alternating between pulling her gloves on and off nervously. She was trying her hardest to find every single interesting detail about them, down to how many threads were in one finger. She'd been at it for fifteen minutes, and she knew she was going to have to find something new to pour all of her attention into soon, or she'd just start to look retarded.

Too late, Vincent heaved a sigh and reached over, taking the gloves away and tossing them in the backseat.

"Yuffie." He said softly, his deep voice almost making her jump as she refused to look at him.

She forced a sort of acknowledging noise out of her throat, but still couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"You have to stop this." He said flatly, leaning over and trying to get her attention. She nodded slightly and felt like melting into the seat.

"You can't run away from home whenever you feel like it, you have to find another way to deal with your problems." She cringed slightly and he leaned back again, already feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry.." She said quietly, her lips barely moving as she stared down at her hands miserably.

A heavy silence fell over them, neither really sure what they needed to say. Vincent watched her sadly. Why did this happen so much? It almost seemed to him like Godo just didn't want her around…

She jumped when she felt the hand on her shoulder, accidentally glancing up into his deep red eyes.

"What do you want to do?" He asked seriously, turning in his seat to face her completely.

"Please don't make me go home…" She murmured, gazing at him pleadingly as he stared at her. She looked like she was going to cry and Vincent cursed under his breath as he turned around again and rested his arm on the steering wheel.

He started the car after several tense moments and leaned his head back as he let it warm up. Yuffie watched him hopefully as he tried to think. He didn't say anything as he pulled out of the parking lot and continued down the street. It was well after midnight, and the streets were nearly empty as they made their way through town.

After passing several key streets, Yuffie leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed in relief. He wasn't taking her home for now.

"You've made life very difficult." He said gently.

**xXx**

Yuffie was sitting in front of the sliding glass doors when he found her again, staring out at the snow covered garden behind his home. She didn't even look up when he sat beside her, his baggy sweatpants making a soft rustling sound as he moved. She shifted slightly as she watched the snowflakes fall heavily to the ground to add to the six inches of snow already covering the frozen earth. He couldn't help but feel guilty, there was something between her and Godo that he would never understand, and he was starting to get the impression she didn't want him to understand it. Vincent glanced over at the clock above the fireplace. It was 1:27 am, she had been sitting here avoiding him for almost an hour.

"Do you just want me to leave you alone?" He finally asked. She wouldn't look at him, but she leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder.

"I'll be eighteen in two years." She said softly. "It seems like so far away."

He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his lap as they stared out the window at the falling snow. She leaned back against him carefully, and the sweet scent of lilies drifted up to him. Running his fingers through her hair, she sighed and looked up at him.

"Can I sleep in your bed tonight?" She asked quietly, gazing up at him pleadingly.

He hesitated for a moment, his crimson eyes widening only slightly at her request, and everything he knew would come with it. "If that's what you want." He replied.

She nodded and climbed out of his lap, taking his hand and urging him to his feet. He led the way up the stairs, holding Yuffie's hand tightly as they walked down the hall to his bedroom. Vincent glanced back at her as he eased the door open, and she smiled warmly at him. She wasn't afraid.

Yuffie closed the door softly behind them, following him over to the king sized bed against the far wall. He stood there hesitantly as she approached him, reaching out for his hands as he watched her. She moved forward and kissed him, and he shifted awkwardly at her touch.

"What's wrong?" She breathed, stepping forward to hug him.

"You're sixteen…" He replied softly.

She stepped back and gave him a hurt look. Her lips parted slightly and she huffed, brow furrowed as she tried to decide on what to say. He couldn't bring himself to look at her and glanced away for a moment.

"Don't feel bad, this is what I want." She said, brushing the hair out of his face gently.

Vincent still didn't respond, so she pulled him forward. They landed softly on the bed and she smiled up at him playfully.

"When was the last time you did this?" She asked.

"That is none of your business." He replied, barely able to hold back the grin at the pleased look she had on her face.

"Then what are you so afraid of?" She was teasing him, but he stared down at her, feeling guilty already.

He shifted to the side and sat up, looking out the window at the dark night sky. Yuffie quickly scurried up beside him, knowing she may have pushed things too far. She curled up against him and pulled his arm around her thin shoulders. They sat there quietly for a while as Yuffie tried to find the courage to say what was on her mind.

She sighed heavily and he looked down at her. "Just so you know, I'm, uhh- …"She hesitated when she noticed him looking at her. "I'm not a virgin." She said softly, looking away from him again in shame.

He was surprised, but didn't show it. She really didn't seem like the type of girl that would get into that sort or thing. She watched him carefully, taking his silence as disgust.

"Vincent." Her voice was soft, and the fact that she used his name so casually caught his attention immediately.

"I love you." She said, looking at him seriously. That was enough for him, and he gave her a rare smile as he pulled her closer.

"You are going to cause me all sorts of trouble." He said, leaning her back on the bed. She grinned mischievously and bit at his lip, teasing him as he leaned away from her.

"Are you gonna back out at the last minute?" She asked suspiciously as he gazed down at her gently with crimson eyes.

"Only if you want me to." He replied softly. She smiled again and shook her head.

Before he had time to react, he felt her slightly cold hands travel up under the loose night shirt he wore. His body tensed and her fingers danced over his skin, moving up over his chest to his shoulders, and down again to his ribs. She brushed her hands up to his shoulder blades and a shudder passed through his body.

"Yuffie.." He breathed questioningly, peering down at her as she smirked.

"Has it been a while?" She teased. He stared at her in disbelief, hoping she didn't honestly want him to answer.

She wriggled playfully beneath him and he felt something stir in the back of his mind. She lifted her arms above her head to stretch and he screwed his eyes shut to hold back the sudden urge to tear the clothes off of her thin body.

His eyes snapped open again when he felt her wandering fingertips reach the waistband of his sweatpants. A deep growl resonated from within him and she paused for a moment in confusion, giving him a strange look before his desperate look told her she was free to continue.

He almost couldn't believe it was actually happening, he had promised himself for so long that he wouldn't do this to her.

Her breath brushed along his collarbone, sending a shiver down his spine. Teeth grazed against the smooth skin of his neck, and his eyes slid closed in ecstasy when she began trailing gentle bites and kisses along his throat. A soft sigh escaped his lips and she grinned.

He heard the rustle of clothing and watched as she pulled her shirt up over her head, pulling her bra off with it and tossing it aside. A soft blush colored her cheeks, hardly noticeable in the dark bedroom as he gazed down at her in admiration. So she was shy about this after all, he brushed his hand along her cheek reassuringly.

"You are so beautiful." He gave her a small smile, but she didn't relax, blushing darker and turning her face to the side modestly. Running his fingertips along her jaw, he gripped her chin and turned her face back towards him, catching her in a soft kiss before she could react.

The next few minutes seemed to take forever, hands wandering curiously as the room around them began to fade. She could have sworn time stopped and heaven had opened up before her as his wandering hands explored her body. Her face burned in embarrassment and her hands were shaking, watching him with wide eyes as he brushed his lips along her bared chest. He looked up at her and she thought she saw his eyes flash an unnatural red for a moment, but it quickly faded again as he rested his cheek against her flat stomach and offered her another shy smile.

A hand tugged eagerly at the hem of her underwear, and she rushed to wriggle out of them, almost afraid if she hesitated he would stop and send her home again. He drifted back up to her face to kiss her, running his hand along her stomach and down the gentle slope of her hip. Her back arched slightly at the sudden contact, her hands flying up to grip his shoulder in surprise.

She let out a low moan as he massaged her, his lips brushing against her cheek as she clawed at his shoulder. He ran his hand back down her chest, taking in all the gentle curves of her body as she gazed up at him pleadingly. Threading his fingers through her hair, he moved his other hand back up her stomach, resting it there lovingly as he ran his tongue over her bottom lip.

It was all he could do to contain himself, slowly pulling off his sweatpants as she squirmed beneath him in anticipation. The shy, almost fearful look on her face had been replaced by her usual smug grin, and she shot forward to take her turn exploring his finally revealed body.

Vincent looked down at her as she leaned forward on her knees, resting her cheek against his chest and trailing her hands along his back. She smiled up at him happily, placing several kisses along his chest. He watched her awkwardly, suddenly aware of the childish glint in her eyes as she ran her hands over a rather personal area. Guilt pierced through his chest, weighing down on his heart as he stared down at her. He reached down and grabbed her hand, grasping it tightly for a moment and she gave him a surprised look.

They sat there watching each other for several tense moments, her heart beginning to pound at the rejection in his eyes. He released her hand and brought his fingertips up to her shoulder, brushing the short black hair away and rubbing the tip of her ear affectionately.

Yuffie's eyes went wide when she felt him shove her back down, hitting the bed roughly as he caught her lips in a vicious kiss. Bringing his hand up, he wound her fingers in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Her back arched sharply and she let out a gasp at the sudden sensation as he forced himself into her. Tears stung at her eyes from the unexpected pain, but she gritted her teeth and rested her forehead against his shoulder. He rocked gently, waiting for her to respond and kissing her shoulder softly.

She let her head fall back on the pillow, smiling up at him shakily. It almost felt like a dream, she hadn't believed he would actually let her get this far. The pain quickly faded and she let out a relieved moan, her fingernails raking down his back . He rocked harder despite himself, heatedly whispering her name into the dark.

The room seemed to warp around them, the darkness covering them like a shroud as the raw emotions dragged the minutes by. Yuffie could see the clock across the room, the numbers flashing by randomly as she panted. Sweat glistening along his smooth back, adding to the powerful scent stinging in the air.

She felt a wave of heat wrack her body and she cried out louder, digging her fingers into his back. He gazed down at her with shuddering breath as he let out his own desperate moan, finally relaxing on top of her and resting his head on her shoulder. She stroked his back as he panted, his dark hair falling haphazardly across her pale skin.

"I love you." he finally breathed, kissing her neck gently as the breath caught in her throat.

She stroked his hair, hugging him tightly to her chest. After several minutes her breathing evened out and he realized she had fallen asleep beneath him. Glancing back at the clock, he realized it was close to four in the morning. He sat up and pulled the covers back, gently pulling them out so he wouldn't wake her up and tucking the blankets around her. She moaned softly and shifted, her hand falling innocently beside her on the pillow.

Vincent stared at her for the next few minutes, the pale moonlight finally shining through the clouds outside and casting a soft glow on her face. She was absolutely beautiful, her short dark hair splayed across his pillow, her gentle hand resting peacefully beside her face. He knew what they had done was wrong, in many different way. But seeing her there like that, completely peaceful and innocent despite their actions, he knew it had been worth it. He kissed her cheek softly before settling down under the covers beside her.

**xXx**

Vincent sat casually at the counter in his kitchen, reading yesterday's newspaper again since the foot and a half of snow had kept today's from being delivered. He glanced up at the microwave again, noting the still dark screen when the clock would normally be. The power had been out almost all morning, only on long enough for him to flick on the bathroom light when he had finally forced himself out of bed.

He closed his eyes at the memory, waking up with his arm wound around her thin form, the fading scent of her favorite soap lingering in his senses with the beautiful glint of the sunlight on her black hair. She was breathing softly, mumbling in her sleep as he pulled their clasped hands apart and rolled over to climb out of bed. He didn't want to leave her there, but it was past ten and he needed some coffee.

"Hey…"

His eyes shot open to see the vision of beauty herself, ruffling her messy hair with one hand as she leaned in the doorway. She had found an oversized shirt to wear, practically drowning in it as she began to rub her eyes sleepily.

"You left and I got cold." She mumbled, looking up in surprise when he seemed to appear in front of her.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her close as the clouds moved aside to let a burst of morning sunlight into the room.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, leaning back to kiss her lightly before pulling her back into a hug again. She rested a hand on his back, smiling happily at the unexpected greeting.

"It's okay." She stepped back when he released her, wandering over towards the counter when she noticed the newspaper.

"Yuffie, there's somewhere I wanted to take you today." he said quietly. She turned to look at him curiously.

**End of Chapter Five!**


	6. Secrets

**Disclaimer: **Final Fantasy VII belongs to Square-Enix.

**A/n:** This chapter is late, you may have noticed. I'm sorry. It's 4 in the morning, I stayed up all night to get an update out for you all. So please review, I'm so very exhausted…

**--** This chapter was reuploaded, due to excessive typos, which have thankfully been fixed. I think.

**Chapter Six: Secrets **

She clutched his hand tightly, waving an arm as she stumbled and nearly fell. Vincent stopped for a second and looked back at her curiously. She brought a hand up and pulled her scarf down a little bit, smiling sheepishly at him as she regained her footing in the snow. It was deep, even under the shelter of the trees, and the hidden branches didn't help as she tried not to slip. He started walking again, Yuffie trailing behind uncertainly as she stared at him.

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" She asked again, eyes wide as she pulled the scarf back over her mouth.

"Yes, we're almost there." He turned to reassure her, squeezing her hand gently through the soft material of her glove.

Yuffie turned to look back at their clumsy footprints in the snow, trailing back down the hillside through the trees and brush. It seemed to her like he was just taking her into the middle of nowhere.

They walked on for several more minutes, Yuffie stumbling and tripping on hidden branches and rocks the whole way. She huffed quietly and stared up at Vincent, it was like he knew exactly where every rock or branch would be, he didn't stumble or trip at all. He didn't even seem to be cold in his usual business suit, though it was well below freezing.

His pace started to slow and Yuffie rushed to get up beside him, peering out through the trees ahead to see what he had wanted to show her.

"You see it?" He asked, looking down at her in amusement. She shook her head.

"What?" Biting her lip slightly, she stared around, trying to pick out something strange from the stretch of forest in front of them.

He pulled her forward a ways more and stopped, bringing an arm around her waist and guiding her in front of him. She stared up with wide eyes as the ruins of an old wall appeared from behind a tree, the snow and vines nearly hiding it from view. Moss covered beams extended up towards the treetops, sections of rafters still holding their own against the elements.

"Vincent, what is this place?" She asked in amazement, stepping forward to find a mass of broken down, foliage covered ruins. She glanced back at him in time to catch the rare smile before it disappeared again.

Brushing his fingers over the shoulder of her coat, he stepped up beside her and pulled her close.

"I'm not really sure, but I can only assume it was a mansion once. This piece of property has been in my family as far back as anyone can remember. I found these ruins when I was very young, but my mother didn't know anything about it." He said quietly, looking up at the snow covered trees surrounding them.

He stepped forward past her, walking through the ruins carefully, as if he thought he might disturb them. Yuffie started after him in wonder for several moments before he looked back and motioned for her to follow.

"Doesn't this place make you feel strange?" He asked, walking slowly as she caught up to him.

"A little bit." She admitted, hugging herself as a cold breeze bit at her skin.

There was a slightly collapsed stone structure up ahead and Yuffie stared at it. It rose several meters out of the earth, but a third of the wall down to the ground had collapsed. She stopped cautiously when she realized it extended down into the ground, but Vincent continued on towards it. He walked right up to the edge and stared down into the deep tunnel straight into the ground. Yuffie approached the edge beside him and leaned over it. It was too dark to see the bottom, but it was deep.

"Have you ever been down there?" She asked suddenly, curiosity getting the better of her.

Vincent didn't answer for a moment, just stared down into the darkness. He seemed to shudder before looking back at her.

"No." He said flatly, backing away before turning and walking several steps back the way they had come. He stopped when Yuffie didn't follow, and turned back to see her still leaning over the edge.

"Well why not?" She turned to look at him, her scarf falling away from her chin and revealing her unusually red lips. Her cheeks were flushed and she shivered as another gust of frozen wind blew by.

"I never felt the need to." He replied, holding out his hand for her to take. She pushed herself back up to her feet and hurried over to him, taking his hand and snuggling in to him as he wound an arm around her waist. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat as she rested her hand against his chest.

**x:X:x**

The bell overheard rang sharply, signaling the short intermission before Yuffie's least favorite class. She threw open her locker, putting her thick literature book away before pulling out another oversized textbook and tucking it under one arm.

"I heard some old rich guy has been paying her to sleep with him."

She closed her eyes to try and calm her temper as that obnoxiously familiar voice floated down the hall to her ears. She didn't bother turning around as the giggling drew closer. Someone ran into her sharply, and she dropped her textbook.

"Ew!" She looked up when the girl shrieked, jumping away from her quickly as the other girls started to giggle.

"You're one to talk, Elena, your boyfriend is older than mine." Yuffie growled harshly, snatching the book from the carpet as the girl stepped out from behind one of her friends.

"I'm willing to bet your dad didn't buy all those new clothes for you. How much do you get paid per night anyway?" Elena asked rudely. Her friends started to giggle again and Yuffie could feel the anger bubbling up inside her.

"You know, he's just going to dump you in a couple of years anyway. You'll be too old and he'll need a new toy. Of course, with a chest that flat you might still look young enough for him well into your twenties." The blonde girl smiled nastily and Yuffie stared at her.

She had just opened her mouth again to say something else when Yuffie's fist hit her in the face, throwing her backwards with a shriek of pain.

The crowd of girls shrieked, staring down at the blonde teen as she held a hand to her bleeding nose. She cursed loudly at Yuffie and moments later the vice principal helped haul her to her feet. The older woman made sure Elena was going to be alright as two other girls took her to the nurse before turning back to Yuffie.

The hallway was starting to clear, and the woman indicated for Yuffie to follow her.

"Yuffie, there's been some nasty rumors going around about you lately." She said simply, closing the door with a click before pacing around the chair Yuffie was sitting miserably in.

"Now, before you say it, I know, she may have had that coming to her, but school is not the place for childish fights. Under no circumstances is punching allowed, and do you even realize the procedures we have to go through to clean a hallway after a nosebleed?" She sat heavily in her chair behind the desk, rubbing her temple with a bony hand. "Gods know what you kids can spread these days…"

"But anyway." She slapped a hand down on the table, startling Yuffie from her thoughts as she yanked open a drawer.

"I'm going to have to suspend you for a couple of days, but from the sounds of things you could use the break." She scribbled something on a piece of paper and slid it across the desk for her.

"Give that to your father when you get home." Yuffie nodded obediently and stuffed the paper in her pocket.

"Now, back to those rumors I've been hearing." She clasped her hands together and leaned her chin on them.

"Those girls have something serious against you, almost everyday I hear them talking about you and your new older boyfriend. Would there happen to be any truth to it?" She asked sweetly. Yuffie looked up at her sharply, giving her an odd look.

"I don't know why they say that, but they were standing behind me while I was talking to a friend of my dad's once." She said calmly. The vice principal nodded slowly.

"Hmm, I see. Do you have any idea why they might dislike you so much?" She asked carefully. Yuffie shook her head.

"Alright, well, if there's anything you want to talk about, you know where my office is. I'll go ahead and let you go, half day today, go home and get some rest." She said, motioning that it was alright for her to leave.

Yuffie pulled her backpack over her shoulder roughly and hurried out of the room.

**x:X:x**

"You're avoiding me."

Vincent nearly rolled his eyes, not bothering to look up from the newspaper spread out neatly in front of him.

"I am not avoiding you, I had nothing else to do so I simply left early." He replied, glancing over at the other man as he sat down next to him.

"It's rude to invite yourself into someone's house, you know." He added, leaning away as Zack moved closer to read one of the articles.

"Not when you're best friends!" He said playfully, leaning back on the kitchen stool and resting his chin in his hand.

"So, you don't want to go to the company holiday party?" He asked with interest, pulling his planner out from his coat pocket.

"I never said that." Vincent sighed lightly.

"Because you wouldn't stop so I could talk to you about it." Zack added, flipping the small book open.

"Oh, what's this? Vincent, is that the date of the company party? Well then, that only gives us two weeks to get ready, doesn't it? You've avoided it long enough, we've got to work on this." He said seriously, scribbling something down on the notes page.

"Why don't we have people to do this for us?" Vincent asked.

"Because, _we_ are the people that do this. Come on, it's fun." He pointed at the page nearly filled with notes. "Okay, so I took the liberty of renting the majority of your favorite hotel, complete with pool and ballroom, and as you may have guessed we need to talk about entertainment and decorations."

Vincent looked down at the chicken scratch notes blankly. "Zack, I'm not good at organizing parties. Why can't you do it?"

"Because, last year you didn't like the nearly naked women serving alcohol, remember? So if you're going to complain, you had better help me out so I don't spend the following few weeks getting angry looks from you." The spiky haired man replied, a small smile playing at his lips from the memory.

"Fine, how about a classical orchestra for background music, something easy to talk over. You can have your girls if they're wearing real clothing this time, but they can only serve food. Hm, go easy on the streamers, last year it just looked cluttered. And no more inflatable center pieces, get some nice vases and make flower arrangements if you want to decorate the tables." Vincent said, picking up his cup of coffee and taking a drink.

"See, you're good at this!" Zack said cheerfully, writing down the suggestions.

The sound of the front door clicking open made both men stop and look at each other. Vincent paused quickly and set his mug down again, turning to look towards the doorway of the kitchen into the hall. Zack gave him a quizzical look as the door shut suddenly and the sound of something being dropped in the foyer reached them.

Vincent jumped up from his seat, moving towards the door as Zack followed him quickly. His heartbeat quickened slightly and he realized he was clenching his fists at his side as he walked out into the hallway. Yuffie was bent over her backpack on the floor, but looked up when she noticed him walking towards her. She gave him a big smile and rushed forward, holding her arms out for a hug. He hugged her gently and quickly released her, stepping back and looking over his shoulder to see Zack watching them with a surprised look on his face.

"Yuffie, you're soaking wet, were you rolling in the snow?" He asked gently, brushing a hand against her ice cold cheek as she looked back at Zack with just as much curiosity.

"Maybe. Who's that?" She whispered, eyes wide as she noted the clean cut suit.

"He's an old friend that I work with." He prayed silently as he led her over to the door of the kitchen. "Yuffie, this is Zack." He looked over at the other man, noticing the bemused look on his face. "Zack, this is-"

"Yuffie, Godo Kisaragi's daughter. We've met before, at last year's holiday party, I believe." He smiled down at her and she looked at Vincent nervously.

Vincent cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yuffie, why don't you go upstairs and take a shower to warm up?" He asked briskly, placing a hand on her shoulder to urge her towards the stairs. She took the hint and glanced back at them as she started up towards the second floor.

Vincent rushed back into the kitchen, Zack following closely behind him.

"You're dating Godo's daughter?!" He cried, a grin crossing his face as Vincent stared at him darkly.

"I know you said underage, but an employee's daughter? That's a new one to me. If anyone finds out, you could go to _jail_!" He blurted out, stopping at the icy glare he realized he was getting.

"You think I don't know that?" Vincent said sharply. He sat back down at the kitchen counter and rested his forehead in his palm.

"I don't blame you, I mean, she's really pretty. It's just, you're around her father everyday. If he ever puts two and two together, you could be in serious trouble!" He said in a hushed voice.

"Which is why I didn't want anyone to know." Vincent said.

"Well it's not like I would tell anyone!" Zack replied defensively, tapping his fingers on the countertop awkwardly.

Several moments passed as Vincent tried to decide whether or not Zack was trustworthy.

"So, um, I guess I'll go and leave you guys alone for a bit." He finally said, standing up and taking the planner off the table.

Vincent stared down at the countertop and listened as Zack's footsteps sounded down the hall, finally disappearing as the door clicked closed. He waited for several minutes, as if afraid he might decide to come back.

Finally letting out a sigh, Vincent got to his feet and started up the stairs.

**End of Chapter Six**


	7. Mental Advances

**Disclaimer: **FFVII is the property of Square-Enix.

**Note:** Okay, last chapter had so many typos after my half-assed work that I just had to resubmit it. So if the blatant mistakes induced too much vomiting for you to finish reading the chapter, it's safe now. We're getting pretty close to the initial plotline, so expect things to actually make sense soon. And also, please don't be mad if you dislike the suggested pairing appearing in this chapter, I hate making OC's. Please review, I'm sorry I've been taking so long to update recently, but it would still be nice to know people are reading.

Oh, and children cover your eyes, this chapter is way dirty. In apology for it being so late. Unless you don't like this sort of thing, in which case you probably shouldn't be reading this story. But actually this is so nasty I'm embarrassed to post it. I suppose there's worse stuff out there though. Oh, and I made it about a thousand words longer for you too.

**Chapter Seven: Mental Advances**

**(Big kids only plz)**

She pulled back slightly, giving him a small smile as she felt his teeth graze across the tip of her ear. He couldn't help but smile to himself when he looked into her eyes, shining brightly in the afternoon sunlight. he wrapped an arm around her back, pulling her closer and bringing his lips down on hers lovingly. Her hand braced against his cheek, stroking across his rough, unshaved skin before finding their way down to his shoulder and gripping it tightly.

"Will he tell anyone?" Yuffie breathed in his ear, curious despite the heated moment they had found themselves in. He had been agitated when he came in his room looking for her, but all thoughts had been banished when he realized he had caught her still wrapped in her towel.

"I don't think so, he's not like that." Vincent replied hurriedly, pushing the girl down on his bed forcefully and capturing her lips in his again.

His tongue found its way past her lips, and she grinned for a moment before losing herself in another heated kiss. He was an amazing kisser, she fell for it every time. Finally pulling back for air, she stared up into his crimson eyes.

"I love you." She knew it probably just sounded cheesy to such a mature man, but he seemed to take comfort in it every time she told him. He kissed her again before responding, and she was sure her lips would be bruised in the morning.

"I love you too, Yuffie."

The sound of her name being spoken so huskily drove her crazy, and she dug her fingernails into his back in excitement.

"Doesn't it bother you that I'm so much younger than you?" She asked curiously. Vincent stared down at her in slight surprise, features finally softening.

"No, Yuffie, if it did I wouldn't bring you here." He said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and he supposed it should be. "I'm just worried how people might react to us." He finished gravely.

Yuffie paused for a moment, drawing her hand back up to his face to caress his cheek. He leaned into the gesture and she kissed his forehead.

"Maybe we should just go somewhere where people won't care." She said simply, almost jokingly as Vincent gave her a suspicious look.

He opened his mouth to answer, thought better of it, and leaned down to bite her neck sharply instead, drawing a surprised yelp from the girl as she began to giggle and squirm violently.

Her towel promptly fell away from her chest, and she looked down in horror and blushed as Vincent leaned back to see. She had just reached for it to pull it back up when he stopped her, resting his hand on hers gently and leaning down to trail kisses along her collarbone. He didn't stop when he reached the top of her breast, and she knew she was blushing like a tomato when his warm kisses trailed down even further. He took her nipple in his mouth and she nearly screamed in ecstasy as the sensation shot down her spine. Her back arched up into him and he grinned, brushing a hand over her other breast as he bit and sucked, thoroughly enjoying himself.

When she was sure she couldn't take any more, he broke away and she heaved a sigh of relief. His lips brushed against the smooth skin of her stomach, brushing down further until he flicked his tongue over her belly button, making her squirm even more as she stared down at his actions with wide eyes.

'He must be really stressed out…' Yuffie thought to herself. 'He's usually not so outgoing.'

A hand reached up to massage her breast as he moved down low on her stomach, nipping at her smooth skin as she held her breath. The sensations left her muscles tense, and she jumped in surprise when she finally felt his tongue on her nether regions. Hearing her scream his name, he stopped for a moment to grin up at her, flicking his tongue over her again to bring out another shriek and giggle.

She groaned, her hands winding into his short black hair as he worked. Her back twisted as she strained with each intoxicating flick of his tongue, sweat rolling down her forehead as she stared down at him in shock.

"Stop, please, stop." She whimpered, digging her fingernails into his scalp and pleading with her eyes as he paused to look up at her.

He pressed down against her chest heavily, kissing her gently as she squirmed beneath him. She couldn't stand it, and reached down to surprise him as he tried to tease her some more by nibbling on her neck. He exhaled quickly when he felt her hand on him, stroking gently as he tried to decide just what to do with her. He leaned back to pull his shirt off over his head, tossing it aside to remove his sweatpants as she stared at him eagerly. He licked her neck gently, enjoying the moans it elicited from the young woman before forcing himself into her.

She screamed from the sensation, digging her fingernails into his back so sharply he was sure she had drawn blood. Finding that bit somewhat arousing, he clenched his teeth, staring down at her lovingly and kissing her cheek before pulling out again to slam into her harder. She screamed, and he almost grimaced in embarrassment, if Zack was still in the mansion he surely would have heard them.

She could see the thin lines of blood rolling across his skin and dripping down onto her towel as she climaxed, crying out his name loudly as the wave of heat wracked her body. Her muscles strained, and she collapsed back onto the bed as he finished, stroking her cheek peacefully before lying his head on her chest.

"Vincent…" She groaned, almost too worn out to speak now. She brushed his hair away from his face soothingly as he leaned back to gaze down at her.

"What do you suppose will happen to us?" Her voice was low, almost like she hadn't meant to ask him. He wasn't surprised, they had gotten almost uncomfortably close and he had been thinking of it himself lately.

"I don't know, Yuffie." He said quietly, lifting the corner of his mouth in what he hoped was an encouraging smile. She seemed somewhat pleased, and grinned teasingly at him while trying to shove him off.

He rolled away, watching her as she cleaned herself up and found her backpack to pull out some new clothes. He was thoroughly surprised to see her pull on some real pants, going all the way down to her feet and everything. Maybe she suspected he might drag her along to some other cold, snowing destination again today. He tore his gaze away and hurriedly pulled his own clothes back on.

"You need to go back to Godo, I know he's worried about you." He knew it was a dangerous statement, it wasn't his place to tell her what to do. She didn't really seem to mind however, and he began to wonder just how much she really cared about him to blatantly bite her tongue to keep him happy. Her face was red, and he knew she was angry, but she gritted her teeth and smiled at him.

"Okay, if you really think so. He's still going to yell at me though." She sounded upset, and Vincent sighed heavily before he could stop himself. She noticed, and cast an odd glance at him.

"You know, it's not his fault. I mean, I don't know what goes on between you two, but it's easy to tell the man has absolutely no idea what to do with an adolescent." he said more in his own defense than Godo's.

Yuffie stared down at the shoes she was pulling on absently, and for a moment he thought he saw a tear roll down her cheek before she quickly wiped her eyes on a sleeve.

"He just hates me because I turned out looking so much like my mother. What am I supposed to do about it? He doesn't want to remember her, and he sees her every time he looks me!" She was crying now, and he felt guilty for bringing it up. He wanted to slap himself, but quickly gathered his thoughts to try and find a way to calm her.

"Maybe it's just because you're mother was so beautiful, and he knows he'll never find another woman half as beautiful as her." Vincent said softly. It was cheesy, painfully so, yet Yuffie found it the most comforting thing she had ever heard. She hurriedly wiped the tears from her face and threw herself into his arms.

"I love you so much Vincent." She sighed into his chest. He hugged her tightly and she dug her fingers into his chest almost desperately.

**x:X:x**

Yuffie watched miserably as the car pulled away, leaving her in the snow with her backpack over her shoulder. She sighed wearily and felt a rock drop into her stomach as she turned towards her house, forcing her feet to move. It was possibly the last day anyone might see her alive, she was sure Godo was going to scream her to death this time. How many days had she been gone this time? She couldn't remember. With any luck, maybe Godo wouldn't be able to remember either.

It was a long walk home through the softly falling snow, she had insisted Vincent drop her off at the school to be sure that her father wouldn't notice his car driving down the street unusually often. She didn't mind anyway, it gave her time to think, and the cold air helped her relax.

Her mind drifted back to earlier that morning, when she had asked Vincent what he thought would happen to them. He hadn't really answered her, she wasn't sure she wanted to know what he honestly thought. She hoped it involved them still being together, he was the only person she had ever met that made her happy. He was calm and collected, he didn't tell stupid jokes like the boys her own age, he didn't make fun of her or criticize her, and he was sweet and gentle. He seemed like the perfect man, and she just had to wonder why he had been single in the first place.

Maybe he was just too busy for women, or maybe he had had a bad relationship. Yuffie didn't consider herself a woman. How could she? She was short, too skinny, nearly flat chested, and was way too tomboyish for most teenagers she knew. Maybe it's just that Vincent liked girls that knew how to get their hands dirty? She couldn't believe any well to do woman he would find in his high society would be anything like her. An image of a beautiful woman in a black dress flashed in her mind, a hand on her hips and holding a martini glass in one hand. She giggled to herself, but the happy flutter of her voice died almost instantly as her eyes shot up to the house in front of her. Her heart sank and she stopped suddenly in the driveway.

Godo was sitting on the couch when Yuffie slipped in the door, looking up sharply at her as it clicked closed behind her. She stepped forward nervously, almost closing her eyes as he got to his feet to tower over her.

She opened her mouth to try and explain herself, but only a shrill squeak came out as she realized she hadn't bothered to come up with a story to cover the days she had been missing.

Godo's face was red with fury, and she was sure he was just going to kill her right there. A sharp pang of fear coursed through her body and her hands started shaking violently as the man crossed the several feet between them.

"I don't want to fucking know, Yuffie. I just don't." He boomed in her ear, brushing past her to stomp down the hallway to his computer room. He slammed the door behind him and Yuffie's backpack hit the floor like a ton of bricks. She collapsed on her knees beside it and started down at the floor as the snow from her shoes began to melt on the carpet.

Her knees where soaked by the time she realized Godo really wasn't going to pick a fight. Forcing herself shakily to her feet, she dashed up the stairs with her backpack in hand and threw open her bedroom door. She leapt on her bed, pulling the covers over her hurriedly and hiding under them like she used to when she was little. Monsters can't get you when you're under the covers, it's a rule.

**x:X:x**

She didn't talk to Vincent for another week. He wasn't worried, being away from her for so long just made him enjoy their time together more. The plans for the company holiday party were strewn out across his desk, and he hurried to sign all the approvals before rushing off to lunch. Zack might walk in any moment, and he really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. Finishing the last one, he shoved the paper away from him with such force that it flew across the desk and fluttered to the ground. He grabbed his coat and threw it on before nearly dashing out the door. He made it down the hall and turned a corner before coming face to face with the only man he avoided more than Zack.

"Hey there, Valentine! You look like you're having a bad day." Godo boomed down at him, patting the younger man's back and grinning widely.

He was shocked for a moment, almost slapping himself when he realized that Godo still had no idea what was going on. He cleared his throat and nodded slightly. "Yes, it has been fairly stressful." He said quietly, eyes finally falling on the woman standing sheepishly behind Godo. A slight blush colored her face when she saw that he was looking at her, and Godo glanced back at her.

"Oh, Elmyra and I went just on our way to lunch, care to join us?" Vincent stared between the two, almost not believing it. He had the sudden urge to remind them that coworkers were not allowed to date, but held his tongue, given his own situation. Perhaps if Godo was seriously involved with a new woman, he would be more forgiving toward Yuffie.

"Sounds good, actually." Vincent said, surprising himself as he stared calmly at the flustered woman. She didn't want him to go, that was obvious.

They walked together down the street to a small restaurant where people from their office often went to socialize. Sitting down at the table, he caught the fleeting glance that passed between his two employees, and quickly picked up a menu to distract himself.

"So, looking forward to the holiday party?" Godo asked, smiling across the table to Vincent. He tossed the menu aside, having memorized it years earlier anyway.

"Yes, it's going to be much better than last year. Everyone gets their own room and free meals, Zack made sure to spend entirely too much money on it." Vincent said, acting as friendly as possible while they waited to place their orders.

"Sounds amazing. I know Yuffie is excited, she just loves staying at hotels. Spends the whole time ordering room service." Godo laughed and Vincent blinked in surprise.

"Yuffie?" He blurted out, mentally punching himself as Godo looked back down at him.

"You remember, my daughter, Yuffie." He explained after a tense moment. Vincent nodded briskly and muttered a soft 'oh'.

Elmyra asked him something and Vincent rested his chin in his hand, staring out the window vacantly. Why did he agree to come to lunch with them? He wasn't sure. Maybe it was to hide from Zack. Either way, he missed Yuffie. Usually she had some horrific tale to tell him when he saw her again, about how the girls at school pick on her because of him. He wished he wasn't so selfish, maybe then he could leave her alone and let her enjoy being a teenager while it lasted. Come to think of it, she had asked him a pretty odd question.

He had no idea what might happen to them. Honestly, he supposed they would be found out, he would go to prison, and Yuffie would be forced to go to counseling for a while. He would never see her again, and she would find some other guy her own age and be perfectly happy with him. That thought made him stomach churn.

On the other hand, what if no one found out? What if they made it to her 18th birthday and no one ever had a clue? What would they do then? Would they stay together, maybe even get married someday? Would she want children? He wasn't sure he could handle such a commitment, and he certainly wasn't ready to think about it. Losing his appetite, he stood up and apologized to Godo.

"I'm sorry, I just remembered I forgot to turn in the paperwork for the new project Highwind is starting. Have a good lunch you two." He rushed from the table and Godo and Elmyra stared after him in surprise.

It wasn't really a lie, he had forgotten to turn in the paperwork. But that wasn't the reason he had left. The paperwork wasn't due until the end of next week, but he was worried that being in Godo's presence might draw the man's attention to the truth. With Vincent's luck, he would smell his daughter on him or something and start a fight.

**x:X:x**

"What's wrong?" Her soft voice crackled through the phone, and he leaned his head on the steering wheel and sighed.

"I just got out of a lunch meeting with your father." He groaned, rubbing his face and wishing the day was over so he could go home and be lonely.

"Was it that bad?" She asked, giggling softly. "I had to skip class to take your call you know." She reminded him teasingly.

"I know. I'm sorry." She smiled at his honest reply. It was sweet that he had called her, she really didn't mind that he had disrupted her classes.

"Did you know you father met a new woman?" He asked her, sitting up to look around and make sure no one was nearby. The parking lot was still empty, no one but him liked to park on the top floor anyway.

She was quiet for a moment. "What?" She didn't sound like she believed him.

"A woman that works in his department, Elmyra, they seemed pretty close for people who aren't supposed to be dating." He said carefully, noting the snort Yuffie let out as she realized just what he was saying.

"Well that's ironic isn't it?" She laughed.

"Yes, but if they get caught no one will care." Vincent save gravely, regretting it as Yuffie fell silent.

"So you miss me huh?" She broke the silence and he nearly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Perhaps." He said quietly. Yuffie smiled grimly to herself and grit her teeth.

"I can come see you later." She said softly, the sound of a bell ringing in the background.

"I have to go or I'll get in more trouble." She said quickly. He could hear someone talking loudly beside her and she had hung up on him. The dial tone buzzed in his ear and he dropped his phone in the seat beside him. He rested his head against the steering wheel again.

**x:X:x**

He looked so peaceful, eyes shut and body relaxed under the thick blankets. Yuffie smiled warmly and brushed her fingers through his hair, playing with it for a moment until he sighed in his sleep and shifted. That cheesy scene in kid's movies popped into her head, when the prince wakes up the lazy assed princess by kissing her. She grind to herself and leaned down, pressing her lips gently to his, eyes sliding closed dreamily before she leaned back again.

He was glaring up at her and she jumped back, gripping her chest to see if her heart really had burst right out of her. A strangled yelp escaped her lips and she fell to her knees on the floor, laughing like an idiot as Vincent sat up to gaze down at her almost disapprovingly.

"What are you doing?" He asked tiredly, glancing over to his clock to find that it was one in the morning.

"I snuck out to see you." Yuffie sat, glaring darkly at him as she shoved herself back up from the floor to stand awkwardly beside him. He looked angry now, and Yuffie looked down at the ground sadly.

"Yuffie, I could have picked you up, it's dangerous to wander around the city in the middle of the night." He breathed, taking her hand and pulling her over to the bed.

She crawled under the covers eagerly, burrowing under them and shivering from the cold journey to his house. He wrapped his arms around her, grimacing slightly when he realized just how cold her skin was.

"You are absolutely freezing." He mumbled, pulling the blankets tighter around her. She shivered in response.

"How did Godo react when you got home last week?" He asked.

Yuffie glanced up at him, somehow surprised to realize they hadn't really talked in a week. She shrugged. "He didn't do anything. He said he didn't want to know and left. He hasn't really talked to me since then, either." She sounded guilty, and he kissed her forehead gently.

"I don't know what to do anymore. I can't stand having to hide like this, it's horrible." Yuffie groaned.

"Don't think about it, just relax. We'll think of something later." Vincent stated, getting comfortable again to go back to sleep. Yuffie pressed her cheek against his chest and smiled.

**End of Chapter Seven**


	8. Holiday Mishaps

**Disclaimer: **FFVII belongs to Square-Enix.

**Note: **Things are really getting going now, but I'll try to keep it calm to match the rest of the fic. This chapter was such fun to write, I can read over it again and giggle every time. Still can't proofread worth crap, I find mistakes every time too…

I have been trying to upload this chapter for a god damned week. FFnet won't let me from my computer for some reason, and the support page seems to be down too, so that's promising. I'm on another computer right now so I can give all you awsome readers a new chapter, but if anyone has any idea why I get error messages when I try to upload from my computer can you let me know?

Anyway, thanks for reviewing, and if you don't review then thanks for reading!

**Chapter Eight: Holiday Mishaps**

She had to beg Godo to take her with him, he really hadn't wanted to after finding her missing yet again a few days before. After cooking dinner for him and spending all day doing every chore there was to do in the house, he finally agreed that she could go. Checking herself out in the mirror again, she made sure she had done her makeup right and didn't look too flashy. It was a formal event, so Godo had given her money to buy a decent dress for the occasion. She felt awkward in it, a simple dark green gown flowing down and flaring out at her hips to brush over her toes. The high heels that went with it were really what might kill her.

"Are you ready yet?" Godo boomed from downstairs, arms crossed angrily at having to wait for his daughter to finish checking herself over in the mirror yet again.

"Yes!" Yuffie called, grabbing her small backpack and rushing down the stairs. He had the door open when she reached the bottom, and it almost looked like he had been about to leave without her.

It was a fairly long drive to the hotel, and Yuffie hummed to herself and gazed out the window, mainly to avoid conversation with her father. Her eyes went wide as they pulled into the parking lot, the building adorned with strings of white lights, stretching into the entrance hall where white balloons were tethered.

She jumped from the car as soon as they were parked, and would have run to the door if she hadn't been wearing such dangerous footwear. Instead, she hobbled along at Godo's side, nodding and smiling at all the people that passed by them as they entered the lobby. A suave man attending the front desk greeted Godo and asked for his name and I.D. to check them in, handing him back a room key and meal vouchers.

A woman across the lobby was waving at them, and Yuffie eyed her suspiciously.

"Who's that?" She asked, looking up at her father as he noticed the woman.

"Oh, just a coworker, why don't you go find something to eat and see if anyone you know is here?" Godo said hurriedly, brushing past her to talk to the excited woman. She glared after them for several moments, not sure how she felt about her father dating a new woman.

A hand fell heavily on her shoulder and she jumped, spinning around to stare up at the spiky haired man in surprise. Zack grinned down at her and she shifted uncomfortably, offering him a polite smile.

"Yuffie, somehow I didn't think you would make it." He smiled warmly and she had the sudden urge to run.

"Oh, hi, um.. Zack." She forced through gritted teeth, glancing around nervously and wondering if he had told anyone her secret.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked suddenly, gesturing towards the ballroom where classical music could be heard. Yuffie glanced over his shoulder at the doorway and back at him.

"Um, sure." She mumbled, allowing him to lead her to the ballroom.

It was dimly lit, the only real light in the room radiated from the strings of white lights lacing back and forth cross the ceiling. The walls were draped with white fabric, and a buffet table stood against one wall with tables beside it for people to sit down. Looking around, she realized he had lead her to the center of the dance floor, and wrapped an arm around her waist gently. He took her hand in his and held it up, smiling down at her and laughing at the confused look on her face.

"You don't know how to dance, do you?" He asked over the music. Yuffie shook her head and blushed in embarrassment. "It's fine, I'll teach you."

He looked down at their feet for a moment and held her closer, she could smell his cologne under the neck of his jacket and wondered what he was expecting to find at this party.

"Follow my lead, it's easy." Her attention snapped back up to his face and he began to move, waiting patiently for her to figure out where to place her foot and which direction to turn. It was clumsy, and she was sure she was making a mockery of whatever dance he thought they were doing, but she had to admit, it was pretty fun.

"So how did you and Vincent meet?" He asked, the question jarring her out of her focus and making her stumble. Zack caught her gracefully and helped her regain her balance, glancing down at the high heels questioningly.

"Oh, well… We'd met a few times at company outings and stuff, but we never really talked until he found me on his way to his car one night. I was sitting in the snow and he offered to drive me home. It wasn't very exciting, really." She said sheepishly, the memory making her smile. Zack made a slight 'hm' noise and glanced around the room.

"Well something exciting must have happened, I've been trying for years to get him to go on a date with someone and he never even gave any of my girls a second glance." Zack said, almost sounding like he was proud of her.

"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" She asked quietly. Zack looked shocked.

"Of course not, what kind of a rat do you think I am?" He gave her a horrified look, which melted when she began to apologize.

"No, really, I'm just glad he finally found someone, who cares if there's a couple year's difference." Yuffie beamed up at him, happy to finally be able to talk about their relationship to someone. Admittedly, it was more than a couple of years, but it was a fact she forced herself to overlook.

There was a slightly uncomfortable silence as the song ended and she took a sheepish step back, looking up at Zack curiously. Movement at the door behind him caught her eye, and she peered over his shoulder to see Vincent walk into the room. Almost immediately, several people rushed over to say hello, and Yuffie couldn't help the amused smile that crossed her face when she realized how much he must hate parties, being such a solitary guy. Zack turned to look, and Yuffie thought she heard him mutter a curse under his breath.

"He's always pretty popular at events like this, you might want to avoid him or people might suspect something is up. You're not exactly someone he would be expected to know." Zack looked down at the girl and she gazed back up at him, understanding what he meant.

If her father saw the two of them even talking he might get worked up, as much as he pretended not to care, he chased off quite a few potential boyfriends Yuffie had brought home. A gleam of yellow behind Vincent caught Yuffie's eye and she leaned around Zack's shoulder to stare wide-eyed at the woman walking proudly through the doorway.

"Oh no…" She groaned, brushing a weary hand across her face.

"Who's that?" Zack asked curiously, immediately recognizing the man she leaned against. "Rufus and his girl, huh? You guys don't get along?" He grinned down at her again, but she didn't return it, simply hiding behind him in case the other girl saw her.

"She hates me. I don't even know why." She sighed, starting to shift over towards the tables against the wall. Zack hesitated before following her, deciding there wasn't anyone else there he wanted to socialize with anyway.

She chose a table tucked away beside the wall, obviously hiding from the crowd and trying to make herself as invisible as possible. It didn't help that Zack insisted on sitting down next to her to watch the horde of employees dancing badly to the soft instrumental music. Almost immediately, Zack decided to tell her a story as she tuned him out. She wasn't specifically trying to ignore him, it was just that she caught sight of Vincent not too far away, talking to a severely graying old man that looked like he had more money than Godo had made in his whole life. She watched him closely, examining every move he made as he replied to whatever the man had said, nodding slightly and waving a hand through the air, his other hand tucked neatly in his coat pocket to give some kind of illusion of high class posture. It didn't take Yuffie long to realize just how strained his movements were, how awkwardly he was really standing. He was out of place, and she wondered briefly if anyone other than Zack knew that.

"Yuffie, what a surprise to find you here!"

She looked up, eyes wide when she recognized the grating voice. Elena smiled cruelly down at her, hanging off the arm of a tall reddish blonde man in an almost tacky white suit. He watched her disapprovingly and Yuffie felt herself lean towards Zack defensively.

"Um, hi, Elena." She managed to choke out, returning the smile and tapping her fingers on the tabletop anxiously.

"You look a little bored. Is Mr. Valentine too busy to keep you entertained?" She drawled out threateningly, glancing over at Zack and giving him an odd look. He glared back at her and Yuffie could feel the tension between the two men as Rufus stepped forward to nod a greeting at him. Yuffie thought for a moment before deciding to respond.

"Yes, actually, he is very busy. I see your boyfriend has plenty of time to escort you around, how lucky you are." She smiled sweetly and Elena seethed, almost hissing at the girl and digging her fingernails into the man's arm.

"Do you know how easy it would be for me to find your father? Not only would he be interested to know exactly who you're whoring yourself out to, but I'm pretty sure that woman he was following upstairs is a coworker, and dating coworkers is a violation of company policy." She snapped, voice low and threatening as she glanced between Yuffie and Zack.

Zack couldn't believe it, this girl absolutely hated Yuffie to the point that she would seek her out specifically to torment her. Furthermore, the man she was with, Rufus, whom he was definitely not fond of, was acting like it was nothing out of the ordinary. He wasn't even looking at them, he was watching something across the room and pretending Elena was having a happy conversation with one of her friends. The sound of a chair clattering to its side caught his attention and he leapt to his feet, hand snapping out to grab Yuffie's arm as she started for the older girl. He pulled her back and braced himself in front of her, getting between the two girls in case they decided to make a scene.

"Now, now, you two. Need I remind you, Rufus," The young man leisurely glanced over at them with mild interest, regarding Zack distastefully. "that such a statement from this young lady could be considered slander, for which _you_ could be held accountable." Yuffie thought she saw a spark of anger in Rufus' eyes as Zack spoke, and a feeling of dread settled in her stomach.

Elena tightened her grip on Rufus' arm and nearly dragged him away, face tinged red with anger. Yuffie watched them go, vaguely aware of the pain in her palms from clenching her fists until her fingernails dug into her skin. After a moment or two, Zack let go of her arm and picked up her chair, standing there awkwardly as he wondered if it was even safe to let her wander around alone now.

"I don't understand why she hates me so much." Yuffie breathed, nearly throwing herself back into her chair and resting her head in her hands.

Zack hesitated, one hand in his pocket as he cleared his throat and sat back down.

"Well…" He wasn't sure he should tell her, but at the glare he received when she realized he knew something, he decided maybe it would be best for his health.

"She's been chasing Vincent for years, actually, she's been pretty diligent in showing up whenever or wherever she might get to see him." Yuffie looked shocked, her mouth open slightly as she stared at him. The very thought that that _thing _had been after her boyfriend for so long was nearly traumatizing. Her stomach flipped and she let her head fall on the table. Zack groaned, realizing he could have phrased it better.

"Oh, come on, nothing happened at all. He's paid more attention to homeless guys begging for spare change. I'm just saying, she's got to be really jealous of you, after working so hard for his attention without even getting a glance." He said quickly, leaning forward in his chair. Yuffie glanced over at him, looking a bit more relieved, and slowly stood up.

"I'm hungry." She muttered, looking down at him like he should have known it. He sighed softly, accepting his new fate as her replacement escort since Vincent was busy.

"How about we go say hi to Vincent and go get some real dinner, maybe we can talk him into going with us. This hotel does have a fairly decent restaurant, after all." He said, eyeing the buffet against the wall warily. Yuffie smiled happily and waited for him to lead the way.

They were nearly halfway to the door when Yuffie let out a shriek, leaping forward and spinning around to stare wide-eyed at the laughing girl behind her. Zack spun around and noticed ice cubes scattered across the floor, immediately registering that a cup of ice water had been dumped down the back of Yuffie's dress. What happened occurred so quickly he hardly had time to react, as a flurry of green rushed past him and Elena's angry shriek caught the attention of anyone else nearby who hadn't noticed Yuffie's distress. He reached forward to try and stop her, hand closing on thin air as she dove for the blonde girl.

People rushed over to see what was happening as the two girls started punching and kicking, screaming at each other angrily before stumbling backwards. Zack let out a curse when he noticed Rufus diving for them, one arm wrapped protectively around Elena and the other braced against Yuffie's chest. Zack watched in disbelief as the blonde man glared distastefully at the girl for a split second before roughly shoving her away.

**xXx**

She couldn't believe what was happening, she had never been one to pick fights, but Elena had gone too far. Even as she was tearing away at the girl she couldn't believe it was happening. It had to be some kind of weird dream, as a result of eating too much cream cheese and grape juice before bed. She heard people crying out all around them, there was quite a crowd gathered to see what was going on, and she was sure everyone in the hotel could hear her screaming at Elena.

Almost as suddenly as the fight had broken out, someone was between them, braced against Elena and forcing her back with a hand against her chest. She broke her gaze away from the disheveled girl to see Rufus glaring down at her, and she knew a rather odd expression must have passed over her face in that brief moment before he shoved her so politely backwards to fall on her ass.

But it never came, she realized she had closed her eyes, and quickly forced them open again when she found herself cradled against someone's chest. A loud gasp seemed to burst out from the crowd as the man appeared almost out of thin air, and she stared up at his furious crimson eyes in shock.

He had managed to catch her before she fell with his left arm, and his right hand was gripping Rufus' arm none too gently, judging by the look of pain on his features as he fell to his knees. Elena jumped back and covered her mouth with her hands, looking down at the blonde man as he stared up at Vincent Valentine with what appeared to be new light in his eyes.

"That is not what I would consider to be the proper behavior of a gentleman at a social function." He said dangerously, his voice low as he stared the younger man down. Rufus didn't say anything as he scrambled back to his feet and grabbed Elena's arm, shoving his way through the crowd as quickly as he could.

With the threat gone, Vincent relaxed and eased Yuffie back to her feet, checking her quickly to see if she was alright. Her hair was a mess, and her dress needed an adjustment, but she seemed unscathed. He turned to see Zack looming over his shoulder in amusement, before quickly seeming to realize that the entire ballroom was staring at them.

"Sorry for the disturbance, everyone. Crisis avoided, everyone's fine." Zack said casually, waving his hands as if to ward off the crowd of people. They dispersed and he turned back to his best friend in concern.

"Well that was exciting, I think we should get the hell out of here for a bit. I'll buy you dinner, let's just go." He said quickly, ushering them out into the lobby as they started to get odd glances from the people in the ballroom.

**xXx**

"What are we going to do?!" Yuffie wailed, clawing at Vincent's coat as he sat in the backseat of Zack's car trying to calm her down.

"Yuffie, it's going to be fine, just relax." Zack said, glancing back while they were stopped at a light.

"No! I know that look! You guys are going to have to fire him and he knows about us! He's going to turn us in and they're going to cart Vincent off to jail, and my dad will lose his job, too, and I'm going to have to go to counseling because they'll think there's something wrong with me!" She was really starting to freak out, and Vincent sighed wearily. There was a moment of silence before Zack could think of what to say.

"Well, maybe they won't turn you in, maybe they'll just drop it and decide it's not worth the trouble. After that display he put on back there, he could get charged with sexual assault if he tries to tag you for anything. He's not a dumb guy, he's just an ass." Zack tried to reassure her, but Yuffie was positive they were all going to prison. Her for assault, Vincent for being a pedophile, and Zack for just being there.

After several more minutes of panic in the backseat of his car, Zack dug around under his seat and pulled out a bottle. He handed it back to Vincent and he stared down at it.

"Zack, she's too young to drink." He said quickly, noting that it was a bottle of rum someone had given him for his birthday months earlier and he wound up giving to Zack.

"She'll be fine, just give her a few sips to calm her down before I start to panic, too." He said hurriedly, purposefully taking a wrong turn so they could drive around longer.

Vincent tried to protest, but Yuffie snatched the bottle from his hands and starting gulping it down, getting several good swallows before he wrestled the bottle away from her again.

"We already have statutory rape and assault, let's not add providing minors with alcohol." He said quickly, tucking it back under the seat as Yuffie buried her face in his chest.

**End of Chapter Eight **


	9. Rain Starts Falling

**Disclaimer: **KHII belongs to Square-Enix and Disney.

**A/n: **Hmm, maybe I should have named this story "Jail Bait" instead. Anyway, not much filler to this chapter, it's kind of bare bones. Oh well, the story needed it.

**Chapter Nine: Rain Starts Falling**

It was a cold morning. So cold, in fact, that he had put his gloves on after climbing in the car. The steering wheel felt like a block of ice, and the windshield was barely defrosted when he pulled out of his driveway. He was late, he knew that, and he really didn't care. He had a bad feeling about today.

He took the long way to work, hoping to hit a few traffic jams to delay his arrival. No such luck, however, as the roads seemed unusually empty. Maybe he was just so late that rush hour was already over.

The traffic light turned red and he stopped, taking the time to glance over at the passenger seat. Yuffie's coat was folded neatly in a square, he had found it in Zack's car after they got back to the hotel, but didn't dare try to track her down and give it back. He was sorry for that now, knowing she most probably had to walk to school without it today.

Maybe if he hadn't taken so long getting ready for work he could have driven by and tried to catch her before she got there. Oh well, there was no guarantee that she would have worn it anyway, she seemed to like walking around outside in hardly any clothing.

His phone rang beside him, the sound jarring him rudely from his thoughts. He felt his heart leap into his throat nervously and he picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Vincent." The commanding voice on the other line was undoubtedly Zack, as no one else he worked with ever called him by his first name.

"What is it?" He replied grimly, almost missing it as the light turned green in front of him.

"Where are you?" Zack didn't bother answering him first, and he knew immediately his suspicions had been correct. It was going to be a shitty day.

"I'm on my way." He said simply. Zack cursed lightly on the other line.

"Don't come in." His voice was dangerously low and Vincent almost stopped the car right there.

"What's going on, Zack?" He asked urgently.

"That fucking kid turned you in, Vincent." He said sharply, obviously near panic himself. "He turned you in and told them he was worried about Yuffie's safety, the place has been crawling with police all morning. Whatever you do, don't go home or come here." He said hurriedly.

This time Vincent did pull the car over, parking in front of a busy grocery store and letting his head fall against the steering wheel.

"I knew she was too much trouble." He said quietly, breathing a curse.

"Yea, I've been lying my ass off for you all morning. Godo's been looking for you, too, by the way. Cat's out of the bag. I'd say stay away from her house, too. In fact, she's probably being harassed by the police right now."

Vincent didn't bother saying anything else to the man, he hung up on him and dialed Yuffie's number, pulling out of the parking lot and changing direction. His heart was pounding in his chest violently and he knew he was speeding.

"Hello?" Her voice broke through his thoughts like a sledgehammer and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yuffie, where are you?" He nearly shouted. She mumbled something inaudible before placing the phone back against her ear.

"Jeez, I'm in class. Why?" She sounded irritated.

"Has anyone tried to take you aside and talk to you?" He was almost there and could feel his heartbeat increasing worriedly.

"No, why? What happened?" Now she sounded upset, too.

"I'm coming to get you right now, get your things and be waiting outside." he said quickly, her school in sight further down the road.

"Right in the middle of class? I'll totally get in trouble!" She replied, voice low as the teacher glanced over at her.

"I don't care, Yuffie, just be waiting outside." He said quickly.

"Kisaragi, I'm going to need you to give me that cell phone." The teacher loomed over her and Yuffie stared up at her, contemplating what to do for a moment. She hung up the phone and shoved it in her pocket.

"Sorry, I've gotta go." She threw her books back in her backpack and stuffed her homework in after it, not caring that is was getting shredded. If Vincent was this freaked out she knew it must be bad.

"Yuffie Kisaragi where do you think you're going?!" The woman bellowed after her, chasing her to the door as she darted out into the hall. Loud murmurs broke out within the classroom as her classmates watched her go. Only one girl in the back row had any idea what might be going on, and she grinned to herself as the teacher picked up the phone to call the office.

More than a couple of teachers yelled at her as she dashed down the hallway, and she knew a security guard was chasing her down after she ran past the front office. She didn't care, and didn't bother glancing back. The parking lot was up ahead and she could see Vincent's car parked out along the sidewalk, waiting for her.

Throwing open the door, she dashed to the car, ignoring the whistles of the security guard as he tried to get her to stop. The car was almost moving before she had closed the door, and she glanced up to see the stern look on Vincent's face as he turned the car around. She pressed her face to the window as they drove back past the front of the school, and she noticed the two police cars parked out front.

She had turned to point them out to Vincent when he stopped her.

"Rufus turned us in to the police, those officers were here to talk to you." He said quietly, glancing over at her sadly as her lips parted in disbelief.

"What..? You mean…" She couldn't believe it, it seemed too much like some kind of nightmare.

"Everyone knows about us, your father included. The police were waiting to arrest me when Zack called and told me not to go to work." He said gently.

"I don't believe this. Turn around, take me back to school. I'm going to fucking kill Elena." Yuffie breathed darkly, clenching her fists before burying her face in her hands.

"What are we going to do!?" She cried.

"I don't know yet, Yuffie, just relax. I'll take you home tonight, but you might want to call and try to talk to Godo." He said, glancing over at her once they reached the highway.

**x:X:x**

Godo answered his phone on the third ring, and Yuffie inhaled bravely.

"Hey dad." She said calmly.

"Yuffie, where the hell are you!?" He cried, apparently in his office since he started apologizing to someone.

"I can't tell you, but I'm safe, okay?" She said quickly and looked up at Vincent as he leaned against the car. They were standing beside the car in a parking structure, several miles into the nearest neighboring city. It was the first thing Vincent could think of.

"Yuffie, is all of this true?! The god damned sheriff came in here to tell me you've been seeing Vincent Valentine!" The elevator dinging and she assumed he had left the building to scream at her in peace. She took another deep breath.

"Yea, dad, it's all true." She said solemnly.

He was quiet for a few moments, she was sure he still probably didn't believe it.

"He's going to jail now, you know that don't you?" He finally said, his voice unusually low.

Yuffie fought back a sob. "Yea, I know."

"I want you to come home tonight, and we'll talk about all of this." He sighed heavily and she hoped he didn't have a heart attack right there.

"Okay, I'll be home tonight." Yuffie mumbled, hanging up the phone and turning to Vincent.

He held one arm out to her comfortingly and she rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around his chest.

"We could run away together." Yuffie suggest hopefully, only slightly joking as Vincent stared down at her.

"That would only solve things as long as we were one step ahead of the bounty hunters that would come after me." Vincent replied honestly. Yuffie smiled at his serious attitude and sighed.

"You're a handful, Vincent, I hope you know that."

**x:X:x**

"Yuffie."

She looked up before she had even closed the front door, backpack over her shoulder as she walked into her house. Godo was waiting for her, sitting on the staircase wearily.

He had been drinking, and Yuffie's spirit fell even more at the sight of the sake bottle beside him. He only drank when he was severely stressed.

"It's true, then? Everything I've heard is true…" He mumbled distantly, his eyes straining to focus on her thin form as she dropped her backpack on the floor heavily. She bit back a sob at the depressing state her father was in because of her. They had never been particularly close, but she had never wanted to openly disrespect him, either.

"You… And Vincent Valentine?" He almost cringed, and gave her a strange look as she gazed miserably at the carpet.

"How in the hell did you manage that?" He slammed the bottle down again after taking another sip, almost breaking it against the carpeted steps.

Yuffie sighed. "I really don't know."

It was quiet for a few long minutes as Yuffie looked everywhere but at the menacing glare she was receiving from her father. He was breathing heavily, and she was impressed that he hadn't tried to chase her down and scream at her yet.

"So now what are you going to do?" He coughed.

Yuffie let her knees buckle and landed gracelessly on the carpet, hands sitting haphazardly across her lap. "I have no idea…" She mumbled.

"I want you to stay home tomorrow. If anyone comes looking for you, pretend you're not home. You're not to talk to Vincent, if anyone sees you two together things will get even worse."

Yuffie opened her mouth to protest, but he was already stumbling up the stairs. She waited a few more minutes before scrambling up to her room and slamming the door. Looking over the lonely little bedroom, she threw herself on the bed.

What a horrible day, everything that could have gone wrong did.

She didn't even know where Vincent was. He was smart enough to know not to go home, knowing him he was probably camping out in his car somewhere. If the police caught up to him there would be hell to pay, and she knew for a fact she would never see him again. There were even too many witnesses to try and say nothing had ever happened!

She cursed loudly and felt tears welling up in her eyes. She hadn't ever meant for this to happen, hadn't really believe it would happen. It had all seemed like a game at the time, he was a handsome older man that had chosen to take a chance with her, and something more may have unknowingly developed between them. It happened in movies all the time and no one got arrested!

A smiling blonde girl invaded her thoughts as she started to wonder darkly about it. Elena, and her stupid boyfriend Rufus. It was their fault this was happening to Vincent!

She punched her pillow furiously, imagining the smug blonde girl's face on it. Letting out an angry cry, she threw the pillow across the room.

She would make Elena pay for that. Somehow, she was going to teach that bitch a lesson.

**x:X:x**

Her voice shook audibly as she picked up her cell phone, flicking it open and whispering a harsh 'hello'. She didn't want to talk to him, didn't want to hear any more bad news for their fading future. But at the same time, she wanted him to come and see her, give her a hug and tell her it was alright and everything was going to be fine.

"Yuffie, I was hoping we could talk." His voice was low and miserable, and she felt her soul begin to detach protectively as she prepared herself.

"I'm leaving town, tonight. It's best for both of us." He didn't want to say it, and he certainly didn't want to leave. But there was no way he was going to spend the next five years in prison. The most common fate for inmates guilty of any form of rape was to be beaten to death by the other inmates.

"I see…" She said softly, already feeling the sob trying to break through her chest.

She might just die if she really lost him.

"Take me with you, Vincent, please." She murmured falling heavily into a chair and resting her forehead against her knees.

"No, Yuffie, stay there with Godo. He can give you a good future, finish your schooling and make something of yourself. Maybe someday I'll see you again, but for now I want you to stay there where I know you're safe." He replied sternly. Yuffie let out that choked sob this time and nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see her.

"Please…" She found herself begging. Vincent sighed.

"I love you, Yuffie."

And the dial tone screamed in her ear as he hung up on her. She let the phone drop heavily on the tile of the kitchen, the back plate spinning off across the room as the battery pack was knocked loose. She stepped over the harassed phone and started up toward her bedroom.

**x:X:x**

It was a stupid idea, she knew that. She didn't care. Nothing mattered now, the only person that had ever truly cared about her had been forced out of her life, and she was going to get some kind of closure about it if it meant she took his place in jail.

She peaked around the corner of the fence cautiously when she heard footsteps. This was illegal on so many levels… She grinned darkly to herself.

There were trees on all side of her, the perfect setting for what she knew was about to happen. The wind whistled through the leaves gently and the footsteps were too close. Swinging around the edge of the fence, she came face to face with her target.

The blonde girl shrieked in surprise and stepped back.

"Yuffie Kisaragi, what the hell are you doing?!" She growled dangerously. Yuffie smiled sweetly at her and stepped forward to close up the gap.

"Just thought I'd drop by and see how you were doing." Her smile widened and Elena scowled. "You see, someone turned my boyfriend in for statutory rape, and now he's leaving town to save his ass."

Elena didn't seem threatened and pulled out her cell phone. "Are you trying to threaten me, Kisaragi?" She asked.

Yuffie lashed out, delivering a devastating kick to the girl's hand that sent her cell phone hurling into a tree to shatter. Elena cried out in pain and cradled her hand to her chest, taking a startled step backwards again.

"Now you've asked for it!" She shrieked, leaping at Yuffie as she jumped to the side.

She punched Elena to the left of her lower back as she stumbled, and she arched her back in pain and fell to her knees. Yuffie kneeled down and grabbed a handful of Elena's shirt, bringing their faces close.

"You've spent the last few years pissing me off and fucking with me life. Well now I'm sick of it! You need to learn to keep to your fucking nose out of other people's business!" She shrieked, punching the blonde girl in the stomach before leaning back to dodge a fist aimed at her face.

Elena stared at her with frightened eyes when she realized just how fast the girl was, feeling her head slam against the sidewalk and she was thrown backward. She cried out on pain and gripped her head, the dull ache in her body nearly drowning out her senses.

Yuffie stood over her with her fists clench, gritting her teeth as she watched her.

'_What am I doing? This isn't even a fight, I'm just being a piece of shit bully…' _She thought darkly. Fists clenching until her nails dug into her skin and drew blood, Yuffie turned and walked away.

Elena sat up slowly and glared after her, panting in ragged breaths as she fumed. She watched the dark haired teenager break into a run and disappear down another street. Sure that she was gone, Elena forced herself painfully to her feet and started to hobble home. Plans had just changed dramatically…

**x:X:x**

Godo was home late, he had spent the better part of the day talking to the police, and was worried he might just lose his job soon from how much they were interfering with his work. You'd think Vincent had killed someone with how they were reacting, but he was running from them. No officers had seen him yet, and the situation was getting tense.

He sighed as he pushed open the door, not realizing that it had been unlocked. Closing it quickly behind him, he set his briefcase down on the floor and slipped out of his coat.

"Yuffie?" He called out, glancing around for any sign of his only daughter. She didn't respond, and he started to worry.

Walking quickly up the stairs, he knocked on her door.

"Yuffie, are you in there?"

She didn't answer and he pushed the door open, eyes going wide in sudden fear at what he saw.

Yuffie wasn't a very messy person, she liked her room to be somewhat picked up, if not altogether clean. So the sight of clothing and various objects thrown around the room was startling. Her movie collection was scattered across the floor, her computer and TV lying in a broken heap off to one side. There was a crack across her computer desk and her book shelf was missing shelves.

But that wasn't what scared him so badly, it was the splashes of blood adorning her usually light colored room.

His heart beat wildly in his chest and he sat down heavily, completely unsure of what to do. The sudden sound of a phone ringing beside his feet startled him, and he snatched up quickly and fumbled with it.

"Who is this?!" he demanded violently, the sounds on the other end of the line immediately dying.

"Godo? It's Vincent…" His voice trailed off worriedly when the man had answered the phone.

Godo cursed in frustration, covering his face with a hand.

"Is something wrong?" Vincent asked suddenly.

"Vincent, somebody took Yuffie." He breathed. There was silence for a while before Vincent found his voice again.

"Don't call the police, I'm coming over."

**End of Chapter Nine**

_Well, it didn't turn out as good as I hoped it would, but I hope you liked it anyway. It's getting a little bit Pulp Fiction-y isn't it? At any rate, it's nice and long for you all, so I'm not rewriting it again! Something about this chapter seems off (silly), but I'm sure someone will let me know what. _


	10. Less Than Professional

**Disclaimer: **See previous chapters, I'm feeling repetitive.

**Note: **Thanks for the reviews, everybody, I really appreciate it! This story is getting close to the end, and I'm thinking of adding a short sequel. Maybe just a long epilogue. I don't want to be done with it yet, I've been having a good time with this story.

**Chapter Ten: Less Than Professional**

Sitting in Godo's living room was definitely an awkward experience. Not only because the man was anxiously pacing the carpet, but because if they were even to call the police, Vincent could be of no help. It had been maybe fifteen minutes since he had gotten there, and he had gone up the stairs to find Godo kneeling in the upstairs hallway with his head in his hands. He was understandably panicked, and his gaze had held such a powerful hatred toward Vincent when he looked up that Vincent had taken a step back.

He was still surprised Godo hadn't simply called the police, perhaps the man suspected whoever had taken his daughter might want a ransom, in which case Vincent would be extremely helpful.

It was a possibility Vincent himself was clinging to, and he had only been mildly surprised when he realized he would gladly sign over the contents of his father's bank account to get the young Kisaragi girl back.

A phone rang in his coat pocket and he sat up quickly, staring down at it in shock for a moment. He fumbled with his coat before managing to pull out his phone, dropping it on the floor again as his hands shook.

"Hello." He said quietly, kneeling on the kitchen tile. A slightly nasal voice on the other end let out a breathy chuckle and he felt the hair on the back of his neck start to stand up.

"Vincent Valentine, I presume?" The man said quietly, as if teasing him.

"Who is this?" Vincent bit back, hand gripping the phone so tightly it squeaked in protest, a sign that it was about to shatter.

"Very clever, Valentine, didn't call the cops, did you? No, that would have been a mistake." The man on the other end laughed and Godo rushed over from the living room.

"Who is it? Do they have Yuffie?" He said hurriedly, kneeling down beside him. Vincent shook his head and mouthed the words 'I don't know'.

"You want your little toy back, don't you?" The voice was drawling, and during the break between sentences a shrill scream broke out in the background. The man laughed again and said something to someone nearby.

"What do you want?" Vincent asked quickly, bristling in anger as he heard shouting he could only assume was directed at Yuffie.

"Whatcha got?" The man asked sarcastically. Someone cursed and there was a violent shuffling sound as the phone was apparently wrestled out of his grasp. Vincent thought he heard a woman say 'don't be a fucking idiot', but couldn't be sure as the phone was handed to another man.

"You, and your money." A much deeper, intimidating voice said. Vincent's blood ran cold.

"What?" He asked shakily.

"You heard me, we want you and your money. All of your money." The man replied threateningly.

The line was quiet for a moment as Vincent cursed under his breath.

"Fine, consider it done. What do you want me to do?" He finally said, voice low and sharp.

"Go to work. Park on the top floor of the parking structure, a limousine will come by and pick you up. You call the cops or anyone follows you, I'll kill Yuffie myself and dump her body on the high school's front lawn. Go now, you have half an hour to be there or Yuffie dies." He hung up the phone and Vincent dropped it down onto the floor. He stood up quickly and braced himself against the kitchen counter.

"What did they say?" Godo demanded, only having heard bits and pieces of the conversation. Vincent looked over at him wearily.

"They want to pick me up, I'm not sure what they're really after. He said if we call the police or anyone follows me they'll kill Yuffie." He cursed again, slamming a fist into the countertop and leaning heavily on it.

"I'm going." He said flatly, throwing himself back and heading for the door.

"Valentine." Godo said dangerously. Vincent turned to look at him. "You get Yuffie out of there, or I swear to Leviathan himself I will dedicate my life to making this a hell on earth for you." He said darkly.

Vincent nodded, leaving quickly before he had a chance to see the man start to break down.

**x:X:x**

It was still cold outside, but rain fell heavily on his car as he waited. He had made it here in record time, and sat behind the wheel, watching the ramp suspiciously. He checked his watch again, it had been twenty eight minutes since their conversation had ended, he was curious to see if they would be on time.

He sighed heavily and rested his forehead on the wheel. It was very likely they would just kill him to be sure there were no witnesses. There wasn't even any guarantee that they would let Yuffie live. But his mind was set, there was a chance that she could and he was willing to take it. She had turned out to be a lot more trouble than he had ever imagined.

The sound of approaching car tires snapped his head up quickly, and he stared out the window to see a sleek black limousine pull gracefully around the corner of the ramp and stop right behind his car. A rock seemed to hit the bottom of his stomach and he threw open the door, stepping out into the pounding rain. He walked over to the back door of the limousine, pulling it open and quickly climbing into the seat. He barely had time to close the door again before they were heading back down the ramp, and his eyes darted over to the man seated beside him now.

He was tall, dark skinned, and wearing a dark blue suit. Heavy sunglasses covered his eyes and he had earrings lining his ear. He looked down at Vincent, arms crossed over his chest.

"Got any weapons?" The man asked. Vincent was unfazed, and regarded him coolly.

"No." He said flatly.

"Good." The man replied, looking him up and down. There wasn't much in the way of places to hide a weapon on him, not that he even owned any.

"Put this on." The man said, handing him a thick black cloth. Vincent looked at it for a moment before taking it and tying it around his eyes. He leaned his head back against the seat and waited for the ride to be over.

**x:X:x**

It was a surprisingly long drive for the size of the city, and Vincent had spent the entire ride in silence, staring at the black of the blindfold around his eyes. The door beside him was opened and someone yanked him out of the car, gripping his arm tightly and guiding him forward.

He stumbled slightly, feeling the rain pound against him violently. It subsided and he knew they had stepped under a shelter, a warm breeze hitting his face as a door was opened and a light began to shine through his blindfold. The door slammed behind them and the blindfold was nearly ripped from his face as someone pulled it off.

He blinked in the light and looked around, eyes adjusting quickly.

"Vincent, so good of you to join us!" A woman sneered, and he looked over to see a blonde girl step out from behind the door.

"Elena." He growled quietly. Movement ahead of him caught his eyes and he saw Rufus lurking nearby, a jealous look in his eyes before he turned away and walked down the hall, motioning for Vincent to follow.

The discovery was a bit shocking, he had no idea someone that he knew, even employed, would turn into a murdering kidnapper. He wanted to fight back and demand to see Yuffie, but he could tell they were already a little nervous and unpredictable. It was probably the first real crime they had ever committed.

Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed the man that had sat beside him in the limo, and another man he assumed was the driver, a younger looking boy with violent red hair pulled back into a ponytail that trailed down his back. The group was obviously close knit friends, probably even went to school together.

They were led into another room, and Vincent looked around. It was run down, possibly condemned, and very abandoned. How Rufus had known about it was a mystery, he could only guess his father had told him about it in his quest for more property. There was a small desk against the wall, with a notebook and pencil on it. The chair was pulled out, and Vincent was shoved into it.

"Write down all of your bank account information, we can do everything ourselves from there." Rufus said sharply. Vincent obeyed, ignoring the group as they stood behind him and watched him write.

He wrote down everything he knew, and set the pencil down when he was done.

"Now hand over your bank card." Rufus commanded. Vincent pulled it out of his wallet and set it on the pad of paper.

"Reno, Rude, be nice and take him to see little Yuffie." Elena said sweetly, motioning towards the door.

They each grabbed an arm and pulled him none too gently from his seat, pulling him out the door as Rufus set a laptop on the desk. Vincent was barely paying attention as he was dragged down the hall again, the light dimming considerably as they went down a flight of stairs. They were in the basement now, and Vincent could barely see as a door was pulled open. He was thrown into the room unceremoniously and landed painfully on his side. The door was shut and locked behind him, and he sat up and rubbed his arm. A noise beside him on the floor caught his attention, and his eyes strained to see through the darkness.

A shape was outlined against the wall, moving weakly when it realized it was no longer alone. Vincent scrambled over to it, immediately grabbing its face when he noticed the tell-tale lack of decent clothing.

"Yuffie!" He cried out, pulling her up against his chest. She fought against the ropes digging into her skin, and he set her back down to untie her. He pulled the gag from her mouth and pulled off the blindfold, brushing his fingers over her bruised and cut face. He wiped away a few dark splotches of blood from her pale skin, and she stared up at him desperately.

"Vincent, what are you doing here?" She said quickly, her voice cracking.

"I came to get you." He said softly, hugging her gently. She gripped his shirt tightly and refused to let go, resulting in him pulling her up on top of him as he leaned back in exhaustion.

"Are we going to die, Vincent?" Yuffie asked quietly, her shoulders shaking slightly from the cold. He pulled off his coat and draped it over her.

"I don't know, Yuffie, don't think about it." He replied.

**x:X:x**

"Do you think they forgot about us?" Yuffie asked hopefully. Vincent might have thought about laughing had the situation been less serious.

"I guarantee there is someone sitting on the other side of that door, Yuffie." He replied grimly. Her face fell again and she looked back down at the floor.

It had been hours, and he knew Yuffie must be getting tired. She was still shaking, and after some coaxing he had gotten her to relax enough that he could check her for injuries. She had a long cut across her lower back, apparently she had landed rather roughly on something. Other than that she seemed all right, just small cuts and bruises. He had asked about the blood all over her bedroom and she had laughed. To his relief, she had put up a tough battle, and the blood in that room wasn't hers, but had come from another man Vincent hadn't seen who caught Yuffie's foot in his nose and was apparently gone to get it fixed.

"Did you hear that?" Yuffie asked sharply, jumping up from his arms to stare around the dark room. There weren't any windows to let in light, only the dull glow from the gap under the door. She moved forward and pressed her ear to the door, breathing shallowly and pursing her lips.

"I don't hear anything." Vincent said softly, straining to listen. She jumped slightly and scrambled back away from the door. Clutching his shirt tightly, she pressed into his side.

"Someone's coming, it sounds bad." She whispered urgently, hair nearly standing on end as the sound of panicked footsteps finally reached Vincent's ears. He wound an arm around her protectively and pulled her up to her feet with him, backing against the wall.

There was shouting now, and the sound of something breaking. More rushed footsteps and they were in the hall. Someone screamed something and the lock on the door clicked open. A gunshot was fired and Yuffie's eyes went wide in horror as the sound of a body hitting the ground echoed down the hall.

Yuffie let out a small yelp as the door was kicked open. She pressed herself as close to Vincent as she could as Rufus reached for her. In a flash, Vincent threw her to the side, and Rufus's outstretched hand grabbed hold of Vincent's shirt instead. His eyes widened for a moment in surprise, and quickly hardened again as pounding footsteps echoed down the hall. Before anyone could even make a move, Rufus tripped Vincent down to his knees, pointing the gun in his other hand straight at his head and braced himself against he wall.

Everyone stopped at that point. Yuffie's eyes were wide in fear as she stared at the gun pointed at Vincent's head, and Rufus stared at the man poised in the doorway, letting out ragged panting breaths.

"Zack!!" Yuffie shrieked, finally recognizing the silhouetted form in the doorway. He nodded to her calmly, and she realized he was pointing his own gun at Rufus.

Vincent could only stare up at his best friend, worried that if he tried to make a move Rufus might open fire at Yuffie. He had no doubt he could extricate himself from Rufus' grasp unharmed, but he could not guarantee that Yuffie would not get caught up in the crossfire that would then occur.

"Drop it, Zack, or Valentine dies." Rufus ground out, not daring to blink as the spiky haired man seemed to recollect himself in the doorway. He stared between Vincent and Yuffie for a moment, seeming to catch the look in Vincent's eyes. He motioned briefly at Yuffie, pleading with Zack to ensure her safety.

"You kill him, I kill you." Zack replied simply.

There was yet another tense moment and Yuffie's eyes darted from Vincent to the gun and up to Rufus, wondering if she should do something, or if she would simply get in the way.

"Don't even think about it Yuffie, get back against the wall." Zack said, eyes not leaving Rufus as he noticed her edge a little closer to them. She stepped back again and slid down to the floor.

"No, Yuffie, get out of here." Vincent spoke up, noticing the jolt that his voice sent through Rufus' body wearily. Yuffie seemed to notice too, and stared up at him with wide eyes.

"Go, get out." He commanded, not caring what Rufus might try to do to him.

Zack knew it was a mistake, Vincent was being careless with himself to ensure Yuffie got out safely, and he wasn't thinking things through. He watched as everything seemed to suddenly blur into slow motion.

Yuffie darted forward, scrambling to her feet and began walking quickly to the door. Rufus watched her in disgust, his lip sneering up in furious hatred as she refused to look back at him. Her cheeks flushed in fear and she knew something bad was about to happen. Zack moved forward entirely too slowly as Rufus took the gun from Vincent's head and pointed it at Yuffie, finger tightening on the trigger. He shouted to Vincent, pointing his own gun at Rufus.

Both guns fired at the same time, and Yuffie let out a scream. She hit the floor and Vincent landed on top of her, gasping in pain.

Rufus leaned against the wall, blood seeping through his shirt and dripping on the floor. He let out a sigh and fell to his knees, staring down at the gun on the floor. He wanted to pick it up, point it at Yuffie and fire until it was out of bullets, but his arm just wouldn't listen to him. His fingers twitched for a moment and he fell back, eyes sliding closed before he even hit the floor.

"Vincent!" Yuffie shrieked, rolling him off of her and cradling his head. "Vincent, can you hear me?!"

She couldn't bring herself to look at the bullet wound, and she knew that wasn't a pool of water she was sitting in.

**End of Chapter 10**

_Thanks for reading! Please review, even if that was the single worst chapter of fan fiction you have ever read. Sorry to end it there, but I'll update fast._


	11. Another Beginning

**Disclaimer: **FFVII belongs to Square-Enix.

**Note: **I really hope no one gets mad at me for how this chapter is going to end. This would have been the end of the story if I hadn't decided to just add the sequel on as a continuation. So this chapter is pretty much split exactly in half as the ending and sequel. This is also where it gets more like Final Fantasy VII and less like a soap opera. I am really incredibly nervous posting this chapter, since it takes the story in such a sharp turn. Please no one flame me, like I said, I am cramming the sequel together with it so I won't take forever to get it done! It seems wierd even to me, but I just don't want to post it as a seperate story. Wow updates are suddenly moving quickly for this one.

**Chapter Eleven: Another Beginning**

Someone was crying, pacing back and forth beside him. His eyes refused to focus and he saw only darkness around him. Shouting erupted, and he knew it was nearby, but at the same time it sounded like it was miles away. More crying, and it was suddenly hard to breath. Voices, everywhere. They were all around him, he wanted to sit up, look around, try and figure out what was going on. But his head was pounding painfully and he felt his stomach lurch dangerously as he struggled to move. Lights flashed brightly before his eyes and his mind reeled, there were so many voices around him now, he couldn't even tell how many people there might be. It was making his headache worse, and he tried to grind his teeth, only to find that they wouldn't listen, either. As feeling slowly seeped back into his chest he felt something heavy on him, and his lungs constricted painfully.

His eyes flew open and he lurched forward, crying out in pain.

"Vincent!" Yuffie sobbed, sitting up from where she had been lying across his chest. Her eyes were tearstained and she wiped them quickly, shaking her head.

"You weren't supposed to wake up yet…" Her voice trailed off and a relieved smile crossed her face.

His eyes still couldn't quite focus, but he could tell that it was her. There was another dark shape against the wall, and he heard Godo cursing somewhere nearby. The door was pulled open quickly and the man peered in and where his daughter was sitting, his harsh features relaxing slightly.

"He's awake then?" Another voice out in the hall asked rudely. Godo scowled back out the door and cursed loudly.

"And you're not coming in here, now get out of my sight before I press charges against _you_ for harassment!" He bellowed. Slamming the door behind him, Vincent was sure whoever he had been talking to had been about to rush in anyway.

"What's going on?" Vincent asked shakily, sitting up and holding a hand to his aching head. Yuffie reached up to take his hand, pushing him gently back down in the bed.

"Try not to move, you just got out of surgery a few hours ago…" She mumbled softly. He looked over at her and her face finally came into focus. She was scratched and bruised, but looked unhurt and showered. His eyes traveled over the room and he saw Zack sitting in a chair, and Godo standing not too far away looking more threatening than usual.

"You're lucky you've been unconscious, the cops have been trying to burst in here and harass you all day." Zack said cheerfully. Yuffie let out another choked sob.

"What happened? How did we get here?" Vincent asked, looking down at an IV in his arm, then looking over to notice a bulky bandage around his other forearm. He eyed it for a moment before catching the sad look in Yuffie's eyes.

"We got you out of there as fast as we could after you got shot, but you were losing a lot of blood. We really didn't think you were going to make it all the way here. I'm so sorry, Vincent…" She mumbled softly, placing a hand over the bandaged arm. He watched in her confusion for a moment before looking over at Zack as he stood up to walk over.

"You're pretty lucky, Rufus is a terrible shot. Still, you were pretty messed up, and when we got here the doctors said they couldn't save your arm, so…" He walked over and pulled back the blanket, and Vincent almost couldn't stomach to look. He wouldn't have, either, if Yuffie hadn't been so enthusiastic to lean over and look.

A golden claw-like appendage replaced his left hand and most of his forearm, and he stared down at it in shock. It was beautiful, in a horrific sort of way, and he couldn't really say he hated it.

"It's not so bad." Yuffie said encouragingly. Zack smiled grimly and put the blanket back over it.

"The hospital loves us for that, now. But your bank account was empty, so let's just say you're not getting any more Christmas or birthday presents out of me." Zack said, patting his best friend on the shoulder.

Vincent gripped the blanket over his arm in thought, and Yuffie leaned her head on his shoulder. He couldn't help but feel a little awkward, Godo was watching them and she seemed completely unfazed.

"Zack, what were you doing there?" He finally asked. The man smiled mischievously.

"Well, I was staying late and noticed your car parked out in the parking lot. I almost didn't believe it was really you, but I could read the license plate number and everything. I went out to see what you were doing there, but just as I was stepping off the elevator I saw you get into a limo and drive off. It seemed awfully suspicious, since you shouldn't have been anywhere near the office, so I decided to follow you and see what was up. I followed all the way to that old abandoned building and figured something bad must be up. I tried to call Yuffie and see if she knew anything, but Godo answered. And, well, he explained everything to me and I went home to get into my old man's gun stash and see what trouble I could cause for them. I never liked that kid anyway." He explained proudly. Yuffie couldn't help but smile, they would have been dead already if it hadn't been for Zack.

"What happened to Rufus?" Vincent asked curiously.

"We don't know. We left him there and called the police when we got to the hospital. Just a couple of hours ago they told us that no one was there when they got there, but they did find the gun Rufus shot you with." Yuffie said, all but climbing into the bed with him. She was itching to cuddle up to him, and he tried to ignore it as his mind started to clear.

"So what about…?" Vincent asked, voice trailing off as he looked down at Yuffie sadly. Her face fell and she looked up at Godo. He stepped forward, arms crossed over his chest threateningly. Zack took a step back and walked out of the room, and Vincent looked back up at Godo in confusion.

"The only way out of this mess for you, is to marry Yuffie." he said coldly. Vincent stared up at him in shock and Yuffie refused to look at either one of them. He couldn't believe he had heard him correctly.

"Marry her? But she's sixteen…" Vincent said numbly, looking over at her for a moment. She was staring down at the blankets with a distant look on her face.

"Which is exactly why you shouldn't have been involved with her in the first place!" Godo bellowed. Yuffie flinched noticeably and he looked at her, a guilty expression crossing his features. He inhaled deeply and looked back at Vincent.

"You're going to marry her tomorrow morning. And when you are finally released from this hospital you are packing up and the two of you are leaving town. I don't know what this Rufus wants with you, but if he's still alive chances are good he's going to come after you. There's nothing left here for either of you. Yuffie doesn't want to face high school as a married woman and no one in this city will trust you with a company now, much less a job. So you're taking Yuffie as far from here as you can, and you'd better fucking protect her once you get there!" He commanded. Having said that, he turned and walked out the door after Zack, leaving the two of them alone to think about their dramatically changed future.

Yuffie was quiet, and this time, she did climb up onto the bed with him. Burying her face in his chest, he knew she was crying again. He couldn't lift his left arm, but he hugged her protectively with his right, stroking her back to comfort her.

"He's serious?" He asked quietly. Yuffie nodded against his chest.

"He told me when he first got here. He said he owed it to you for saving my life." She sighed.

Vincent held her tightly, and she relaxed against him. This whole mess was his fault, because he couldn't just say no and leave her alone. He just had to have his way and let her get too close, and now he had ruined both their lives.

"Yuffie, I'm so sorry." He breathed in her ear. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, I wouldn't blame you if I go to prison." She sat up and looked like she would really like to slap him.

"Don't be stupid, Vincent." She said accusingly. "I really… don't mind. I mean, I guess…That is, if you don't mind that I'm so young…" She began to get flustered and he noticed the dark blush on her cheeks. Pulling her down, he kissed her gently.

"This could turn out very interesting, to say the least." He said softly. "Any ideas of where you would like to go?"

Yuffie grinned to herself. "I always wanted to see the Crater…" She said quietly. Vincent let out a soft, breathy laugh, almost startling Yuffie.

"That's not exactly the kind of place people go for a honeymoon." He said in amusement. He wasn't even sure if it was real.

The word sent chills up Yuffie's spine and she shivered anxiously. She had never been one of those girls that dreamed their whole childhood about growing up and getting married, but she was glad to be able to stay with Vincent, even if that meant she wouldn't be able to get rid of him later. She wasn't sure she'd want to, anyway.

**x:X:x**

There had been nothing special about the wedding. Yuffie put on a white sundress and that was about it. The minister came into the hospital room to perform the wedding for them, and only Zack and Godo had attended. It was far from any sort of dream wedding she had had in mind, they didn't even get a wedding night together. She supposed it was in the past now, since Vincent had been released earlier this morning.

She stood beside the car, watching him dig through the trunk past the pathetic amount of luggage they had packed up to take along. They barely had any money, most of it was from a payment made to him from the man he had sold his mansion to, and they were planning to use it to find a new home once they figured out where they were going.

He stood up again, pulling out some climbing gear he had bought after leaving the hospital. He looked over at her innocently and she sighed.

"Vincent, what are we doing here?" She demanded, giving him a sideways glare as he stepped around the side of the car and started up the hill. He looked back at her for a moment and signaled for her to follow.

He looked different already. Not so clean cut, and he had abandoned his suits in the mansion. With some instruction from Yuffie, he had bought what she affectionately referred to as "real clothes", mainly consisting of blue jeans and t-shirts. He felt out of place, even as a child his father had insisted he wear dress clothing. At the moment, he was wearing a heavy black jacket to block out the cold, and Yuffie ran to catch up to him as he started through the trees.

It was the ruins of the old mansion, Yuffie knew that the moment one of those familiar stone walls came into view. It looked different without the snow covering it, but it was just as uncomfortable.

She realized in horror exactly what he was really doing here, and rushed forward to try and stop him.

"Vincent, no! Your arm isn't finished healing yet!" She insisted, grabbing his coat as he stepped towards the edge of the gaping hole in the ground. He turned to look down at her and smiled again, holding up the claw to flex it in her face.

"I'll be fine, Yuffie, I have to do this. Who knows the next time we'll come out this way?" She pouted, but stepped back and flopped down on top of a low brick wall to watch. He secured the rope and rather ungracefully jumped into the hole. Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest, and she forced herself to look away. He would be fine, he was always fine.

An hour had passed and Yuffie was starting to worry. She stepped over to the hole and wondered if maybe she should have followed him.

"Yuffie?"

His voice echoed up at her and she jumped back in surprise. Holding her hands against her chest to make sure her heart didn't escape, she leaned over to peer down into the darkness.

"Vincent?" She called out, feeling stupid. Who the hell else would it be?

"Can you drop that backpack down here?" He asked. She looked over toward a section of wall that was still intact and found it, dropping it down into the hole.

"Thanks." He said as he caught it and turned back to what he was doing.

Yuffie was starting to get impatient, and leaned over again to see if she could catch a glimpse of his flashlight. Sure enough, a few minutes later he appeared at the bottom, tucking the flashlight back into his pocket before pulling himself back up the rope. He pulled his rope up after him as he reached the top, and Yuffie walked over to grab hold of his coat.

"Took you long enough!" She complained. He wound an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, kissing her forehead lightly before picking up the rope and walking back the way they had come.

"Trust me, it was worth it." He replied gently. She sighed and ran after him.

"Let me see!" She groaned, snatching at his backpack. He dodged away from her and ran towards the car as rain started to fall around them.

He slipped into the driver's seat with the bag in his arms, and Yuffie bounced into the seat beside him.

"Okay, we're safe now, what's in the bag?" She demanded, leaning over as he unzipped it. There were some harassed but intact journals, a few other books, and some very old looking items. At the bottom of the bag was a small box, and he picked it up to show it to Yuffie.

"Where did you find all this stuff?" She asked, picking up an old pen and turning it over to examine it. It looked ancient, and slightly rusty.

"There was a sealed door leading into an old library at the bottom of the tunnel. Look at this, Yuffie. My grandmother told me she thought this was still down there." He said softly, opening the box and pulling out a glowing red orb.

"Vincent… Is that…?" Yuffie's breath was taken away as she stared at it, not daring to believe what it could really be.

"That's right, materia. And there's more of it, too." He said softly. He showed her the box, which contained three more of the precious orbs, blue, green, and yellow.

"But, materia is really rare! These have to be worth a fortune. How did they get down there?" Yuffie cradled the red fire materia in her hands, as if she might break it if it fell.

"My family likes to hide things away for later generations, I must have had a relative that came across some materia." He said simply. Yuffie put it back in the case and looked up at him.

"So what should we do with it?" She asked quietly.

"Hold on to it until we need it, I suppose." He said, tucking the box back in the bag and setting it in the back seat. "Now, let's get moving. we've got a long way to drive before we'll find an inn."

Yuffie nodded and sat back, buckling her seat belt. "I still can't believe Godo sent us away like this. Are you sure he doesn't just hate me?" She asked, looking over at Vincent again. He sighed.

"Godo doesn't hate you, Yuffie, you're just a very difficult daughter." He said gently. She stared at him for a moment.

"Did you two have a heartfelt talk or what?" She asked suspiciously.

"Yes, actually, before we left he took me aside. He told me to take care of you, because he never could. Hm, I almost forgot, he told me to give this to you when we were out of town." He said, reaching in his pocket and pulling out an envelope.

"Geez, you could have given it to me before you crawled down into that hole. It would have given me something to do while I waited for you!" She said in irritation, opening the envelope and pulling out a letter.

_Dear Yuffie, _

_I'm sorry we haven't been much of a family. Usually I can't even bring myself to talk to you. I don't think you know how much you look like your mother. I had a really hard time when your mother died, I still feel that it was my fault. Whenever I look at you, I can see her there, and all my anger and frustration just pours out. I never meant to drive you away, and I regret that things have turned out like this, but I hope you can forgive what a terrible father I am someday. I'm sending you with Vincent in the hopes that he can give you a better life than you would have had here. At least with the chance to really be happy, and perhaps he can undo some of the damage I may have caused. Wherever the two of you end up, I want you to be happy, and I hope you will come back to see me. I know I have no been very fatherly, but should the two of you have any children someday, I would very much like to meet them. You are my only daughter, Yuffie, my only real family, and I do not want to lose that. I love you, Yuffie, and your freedom is all I can offer you now. _

_-Godo Kisaragi_

Yuffie's hands were trembling when she finished, and she grumbled and tossed it in the back seat. Vincent glanced over and thought he saw her eyes well up, but she was wiping her face and glared daggers at him.

"What?" She mumbled defensively.

**End of Chapter Eleven **_Please review, it makes me happy..._


	12. Part Two What It Brings

**Disclaimer: **FFVII belongs to Square-Enix.

**Note:** Well, here we go. The sequel starts here, because I don't want to post it as a new story. If I do I will get that "Aw, I finished a story!" satisfaction and run off to start another one. Not that I need to start anymore, I have several I still need to post… But anyway, The First Sight Curse one and two and going to be one story smashed together for convenience. Here begins the second part, essentially a whole new story than leans very heavily on the previous eleven chapters you've read (I hope…). If you really don't like this I can remove the new chapters and post them as a new story, it really isn't a problem, I'd just prefer not to. Also, you may or may not have noticed, but at this point it's almost painfully obvious that this story is taking place a long ass way into the future of FFVII. Just thought I'd point that out to avoid any further confusion, I'm trying to learn not to be so vague.

Edit- I got a review letting me know how much in this chapter didn't make sense, so I've fixed it and changed a little bit. It's better now. But the edit document page is being retarded, so if this whole thing turns out bold of underlined, it's totally not my fault.

_Thank you, everyone who has reviewed! You know who you are, and may you now have that happy feeling of knowing that you made me happy by leaving your thoughts at the end of a chapter! Reviews these days seem to be lacking, which leads me to believe this story has started to suck… But I enjoy writing it so I will update for those of you who still read it!! _

**Part Two**

**.:The First Sight Curse and What It Brings:.**

**Chapter One**

Even with his limited perception of female emotions, Vincent could tell she was less than ecstatic at being more or less forced into marriage at sixteen years old. So far, as a married couple, they had spent a week in the hospital and another week driving around in countryside neither of them knew very well. In fact, Vincent hadn't been so far east in a long time, several years at least.

Mostly, they had been through the desert. Yuffie had spent the past three days staring out at the sharp hills and mountains, with hardly any trees and the occasional wild animal running in the distance. He was thankful, at least, that a highway had been built recently. Otherwise it would have been interesting to see how well his car held up to rough country roads. Not many people drove all the way out here, especially this time of year. It was far from vacation season, and they had only passed a few dozen cars along the vast expanse of highway.

"Where exactly are we going?" Yuffie asked, straightening her shirt as she stepped from the car into the sunlight. It was clear blue skies for now, but it could become overcast at any minute. The weather around the tourist trap of Costa Del Sol was always unpredictable.

Vincent glanced over at her and looked back down at the map in his hand. He had an idea of where he wanted them to wind up, and he knew for a fact no one would ever expect to find them _there_. He might have tried to throw her off and get out of entertaining her for one afternoon if it hadn't been too cold to go swimming. The ocean was beautiful today, but there was a cold breeze still lingering in the air. He watched Yuffie carefully to try and determine her mood for the day, but she ignored him and tightened her coat around herself to ward off the ocean breeze.

"Let's get lunch." He said instead, that sense of guilt welling up in him again.

She shouldn't have been there with him. By all means, he should have turned Godo down and faced the government's punishment for him. She was too young for this, and it was obvious now more than ever. As much as she tried to act like an adult, that childish air about her always broke through. They were barely married. The government had been forced to recognize it, especially after Godo had all but beat the investigators away with their brand new marriage certificate, but he did not see her as being anything near a wife. Yuffie was simply a young girl that had made a mistake in her life, and now she had put her life in his hands to try and fix it. There was a very likely possibility that in a few years when she grew up she would want a divorce and he'd never see her again, and he pushed the thought from his mind as his chest began to tighten painfully.

He turned sharply, and Yuffie stared after him. She knew that look all too well now, he had been thinking about it again. Letting out a sigh, she walked around the side of the car and slipped her hand into his, pulling him forward towards the somewhat tacky restaurant at the end of the street. Humming cheerfully to herself, she dragged him down the street and into the restaurant, once again successfully distracting him from his rather dark and depressed thoughts.

**x:X:x**

"I thought you were kidding. I really hoped you were kidding, anyway…" Yuffie groaned, leaning her head against the railing of the ship. Her feet dangled over the edge and she didn't even care if she fell at this point. Her stomach lurched violently and anything that might have been left in her stomach was over the side of the ship in a matter of seconds.

"I'm sorry, Yuffie." Vincent said again sadly. He hadn't realized she was so prone to sea sickness, but there really wasn't any other option for crossing the ocean. Of course, if he told her that she would probably launch into another rant about wanting to know why the hell they were even going to another continent.

"We'll be there soon." He said reassuringly. Yuffie glared up at him and let her head fall back against the bar heavily.

He wasn't lying, however, as he gazed ahead of the ship to see the busy seaport spread out along the new continent rising up on the horizon.

"Why couldn't we just stay in Costa Del Sol?" Yuffie groaned, feeling her stomach flip again as she tried to lean over and look at their approaching destination.

"Because, we need a home, not a vacation. I'll take you on vacation later." He said tiredly. Leaning down before she could throw a fit, he gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"I have to go get everything ready, okay? Stay here so I can find you again." Vincent said quickly, ducking out of sight as Yuffie groaned over the side of the ship again.x:X:x

It had taken a bit more money than he would have liked, but Vincent had paid the captain to take his car along in the ship's hold. Having unloaded it carefully for him, the crew loaded their luggage into the back of the car again and he turned to see Yuffie leaning wearily against a wall nearby. People rushed back and forth across the dock, and employees of the ship they had just gotten off of were hastily unloading cargo. He beckoned to her and she pushed herself off the wall, walking dazedly toward him through the crowd.

Sighing in worry, he rushed forward and picked her up, carrying her the short distance to the passenger seat and setting her gently back on her feet.

"Will you tell me where we're going yet?" She asked miserably, still feeling severely sea sick. Vincent brushed his fingers across her cheek affectionately.

"Go to sleep, Yuffie, it won't be long now." He said gently, kissing her forehead again before standing up to move around the side of the car.

To be honest, he wasn't sure she would approve of where they were headed. He would have preferred to take her somewhere at least decent, maybe further west than they had been. However, Godo had insisted that Vincent find the most obscure, out of the way town he could and hide her there. Somewhere he was sure no one would think to look for them. At least until they figured out if anyone was even going to go after them for revenge now. After all, Elena was still missing, and she was well known as a professional grudge holder.

He ignored the strange looks he got from members of the crew and various people on board that had seen them together as he climbed into the driver's seat and prepared himself for the long drive to their new place of residence.

**x:X:x**

Well, it wasn't exactly the kind of place he remembered it to be, but it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, either. He had seen pictures of the city once, back in its prime. It had been magnificent, with a population creeping up on one million citizens. Those days were long gone now, as most of the city lay in rubble, slightly buried by the sands of time since it's near destruction during the threat of Meteor.

Midgar, hardly a city anymore, a place for people to go when they didn't have anywhere else, he supposed.

Tourists tended to avoid the city, despite the beautiful sight of the ancient Junon cannon's remains sitting in the middle of the city. The city itself had been consumed by the slums, once hidden under a thick metal plate to allow the city to hold a sort of double level. During it's final hours as a capital, most of the old mako reactors lining its walls had been destroyed, letting the slums spill out into the harsh world beyond. Dotting the landscape as a dying town, a few real buildings rose up from the barren countryside to point defiantly to the heavens.

Despite all of the city's hardships, it held on strong in what had appeared to be its final throes for over a hundred years. The faithful inhabitants refused to give up, and most of the work in the town now stemmed from restoration efforts. It wasn't an ugly place, in fact, it was quite beautiful. In the same way Gongaga held that natural beauty only a jungle can possess.

He looked over at the sleeping girl, curled up in the passenger seat with a blanket tucked carefully around her. If nothing else, Midgar offered her a chance at survival. Here, she would find herself in a crash-course on life, and would settle in to her own purpose or die. He was confident she would succeed incredibly, thus the choice to bring her to such a place.

The sound of a car door slamming jarred her from her sleep and Yuffie sat up with a jolt. Looking around in confusion, she noticed Vincent walking around the front of the car. It was a good three days after they had gotten off of that damn ship, and she was very ready for a night in a real bed again. Cringing slightly, she straightened her back and heard several popping noises. He opened her door and leaned down, taking her hand as she looked around, finally noticing the city looming not too far off in the distance.

Eyes shifting suspiciously from him to the town, she allowed him to help her from the car. They walked forward several paces and she held her breath at the beautiful sight that spread out before her eyes. The landscape was dotted with pathetic trees and large rocks, the dirt fine and sandy as far as the eye could see. It seemed to get slightly darker the closer to the city it got, and her eyes scanned the town itself. It wasn't much to look at, but it wasn't too bad. It certainly reminded her of something from an apocalypse movie, but the sun glinted off the bits of metal that made up most of the building materials. What really caught her eye was the distant outline of a very large cannon, sticking up along the horizon as a grim testament to a war that happened so long ago there were hardly records of it anymore.

"Oh, Vincent…" She breathed. "This is where you chose for us to live?"

She wasn't sure what she thought. She had really been expecting something more like Kalm, the fact that he had chosen Midgar of all places said a lot about him.

"It's certainly, _different_." She said quietly. It was practically barbaric, the city was so cut off from the rest of the planet she wouldn't be surprised if the inhabitants no longer knew what a computer was. Midgar had seen more technological days. Well, if anyone was following them, they'd have to be looking pretty damn hard to find them all the way out here.

"You'll like it here." He said simply. She could have hit him at that point. He was going to teach her about adulthood the hard way, and she knew it.

**x:X:x**

The moment they set foot in the Inn's lobby, Yuffie knew it was going to be difficult to fit in here. She had never spent a day 'out in the country', and she bit her tongue to keep from referring to the town's citizens as being 'rednecks'. The people here didn't seem to care much about the outside world, and she eyed a group of punky looking individuals lurking at the bar further into the Inn.

"Can I help you?" A curious woman asked from behind the counter. She glanced between the two for a moment before settling Vincent with a very protective glare.

"We'd like a room." Vincent said with an almost defensive tone. He had definitely noticed the strange looks the townspeople were giving him, and wasn't sure how well things would bode if they knew Yuffie's age.

"And you are…?" The woman asked, clicking something on a computer and tapping her fingernails against the countertop.

"Vincent Valentine." He said simply. the woman glanced from him to Yuffie and opened her mouth to protest.

"This is my wife, Yuffie." He said sharply. The woman fixed him with a disbelieving stare. She turned to look Yuffie up and down.

"You look awfully young to be following this guy around." The woman said flatly, not hiding her suspicion in the least.

Yuffie blushed, quickly thinking of a way to save the situation. Looking down at the ground, she flipped a hand through her hair coyly.

"Oh, well, thank you. I'm actually turning twenty this summer." She said shyly, grinning up at the woman with her most forced smile ever. Vincent nearly rolled his eyes at her performance, but exhaled in relief instead.

The woman seemed to buy it, though, and smiled down at Yuffie. "Well, ya never can be too careful these days. I'd hate to see such a pretty girl get hurt." She said sweetly, typing into the computer quickly. She took the money Vincent offered her and tossed them a room key.

"Have a good night! Breakfast is at nine!" She called after them as Vincent picked up their bags and started for the stairs with Yuffie trailing at his heels.

She snuck the key out of his grasp and unlocked the door, throwing it open and looking around at the tiny room. Bounding forward, she threw herself on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"Finally, a real bed!" She breathed, closing her eyes for a moment to enjoy the feel of the blankets under her back.

Vincent closed the door behind her and set the bags on the floor, straightening his back. He watched her for a moment and she rolled over onto her stomach, propping her chin on her hands and smiling.

"Aren't you going to come over here?" She asked sweetly.

He stared at her another moment before his eyes drifted down guiltily. He examined his new golden claw instead, flexing it several times before coming to a conclusion.

"I'll be back later." He said quietly. Yuffie watched in shock as he turned and slammed the door, leaving her alone in the small room.

**x:X:x**

Vincent didn't know what was wrong with him, but something between them had changed when Godo all but forced them to marry. She was just so young, he hadn't really had a problem with that before, but now it really seemed like he should have gone to prison and left her alone. Because of him, she was stuck out here in this fallen capital, scratching a life from the very dregs of society.

He knew exactly what she wanted right now, after all, they had missed that traditional wedding night together. He wasn't sure he could stomach himself if he slept with her now.

Not until he had made a life for them, he refused to accept her as his wife until he knew he could take care of her.

Needless to say, he got some very odd looks from the citizens of Midgar as he walked along. Red wasn't exactly a common eye color, either. No one tried to stop him, however, and he continued on toward the city center.

The town was made almost entirely out of metal salvaged from the old part of the city, down to the very ground he walked on. The new version of the city was trying desperately to imitate the old city, with a partially constructed wall around half of the city. The metal beneath his feet clicked loudly as he walked, and he looked up at the orange clouds hanging low in the sky. The sun was setting, and it cast strange colors through the pollution left over from centuries of misuse of mako in this area.

He found the large building in the center of town, and stepped inside. It was set up like a strip mall, but he recognized it as the sort of all purpose town hall. Whatever business you had in the town could generally be settled here, and he walked along through the thin crowd of people.

"Hey!" Someone shouted. Vincent looked up curiously, wondering if they were talking to him. A large, burly man with dark skin motioned to him and grinned.

"Yea, you!" He bellowed. Vincent walked leisurely over to him and the man held out his hand. Vincent couldn't help but notice that, like him, he seemed to be lacking a hand, though his was the right.

"What's yer name, kid?" The large man asked, shaking Vincent's hand enthusiastically.

"Vincent Valentine." He said flatly. The man eyed him curiously and grinned.

"Well then, Vincent, you can call me Barret." He said quickly.

He paused to look Vincent up and down, seeming to roll an idea over in his head as he scratched his chin.

"You're new here, aren't ya?" Barret asked.

"Yes, actually, I only arrived today." Vincent replied, trying to be friendly despite the suspicious nature of the man.

"An' I suppose you came here lookin' fer work?" He asked, a pleased look on his face. Vincent shifted slightly, but didn't answer.

"Quiet type, huh? I like that. Them damn kids they're hiring nowadays never shut the hell up and just work." Barret laughed loudly and Vincent wondered if it would be rude to simply back away.

"Anyway, enough beatin' round the bush. I like the looks of ya and I'd like to hire you on." Barret said seriously. Vincent stared at him for a moment.

"Excuse me?" He said quietly. Barret grinned again.

"I run a city restoration project here, an' I'd like to hire ya on." He said simply.

Vincent thought about it for a moment. He did need work rather badly at the moment…

"What would this job entail?" He asked, squaring his shoulders seriously as if dealing with an indignant customer. Barret grinned some more and leaned in close.

"Security."

**End of Chapter One, Part Two.**


	13. Gunman at Heart

**Disclaimer:** FFVII belongs to Square-Enix.

**Note:** It's getting pretty fun now. Thanks for the awesome reviews, I really appreciate it that you took the time to let me know what you thought!

**What It Brings**

_**Chapter Two**_

Barret let out a loud whoop as the can exploded across the valley, sending sharps of shredded metal flying in all directions. He slammed a hand against the wide eyed young man enthusiastically.

"Now that's shootin'!" He said loudly, patting his back and looking out at the terrorized shooting range again. "I thought ya looked like you could do some damage with a rifle, but I didn't expect that!"

Vincent's hands were shaking gently as he held the weapon tightly, staring out across the valley at the former target. He hadn't been expecting that either…

"Who taught ya to shoot like that?" Barret asked, leaning over towards him suspiciously. Vincent's mind went blank for a moment and he seemed lost in thought, debating what he should tell the man.

"That was the first time I have ever shot a gun." Vincent finally admitted, distantly aware of the fine layer of sweat building up on his skin. Barret laughed loudly, the sound echoing down the rocky valley for a while.

"Yer funny, kid, you're gonna do great. Now, that gun means a lot to me, and I'm going to trust ya with it 'cause I think you can use it right. So take care of that beauty!" He laughed again and walked off towards a nearby building, waving at several other men that were watching them curiously.

Once he was gone Vincent felt his body relax again, and he stared down at the gun clenched in his hands.

_Cerberus._

He had never seen any weapon like it in his life, and he had seen quite a few. It was heavy triple barrel rifle, modeled after the famous antique Cerberus revolver used hundreds of years ago. The design was so flawless, it hardly needed upgraded. The metal felt unusually cold on his skin and sent a strange sensation through his fingers as he held it.

Gulping down the sensations and convincing himself he was simply tired, he turned and started back towards the Inn, pulling the strap over his shoulder to let the heavy weapon thump against his hip as he walked. It was a constant reminder of what his life now held in store for him. He hoped Yuffie wouldn't be too upset…

**x:X:x**

"What. Is that?" Yuffie stated almost the moment he walked in the door.

He set it down against the small sofa in the room and wandered over to her. She was sitting cross legged on the bed, holding a bowl of popcorn between her knees as she watched a movie. She had changed into some shorts and a baggy t-shirt, and her eyes held a faint tinge of red to them, suggesting she had been crying just before he got back. He sat down beside her and let his fingers trail gently through her hair. He brushed her bangs aside and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before leaning in to give her an apologetic kiss.

She pulled away from him and he knew he was being punished. Sighing lightly, he accepted the temporary rejection.

"I found a job." He said quietly. Yuffie raised an eyebrow at him.

"Doing _what_?" She asked a little sharply, gesturing at his new weapon with her eyes.

"Security for a restoration team." He said quietly, looking away out the window to avoid her angry gaze.

She thought about it for a moment before responding. "And what exactly do you have to do as 'security'?"

"I follow the team into the old part of the city for salvaging metal, and defend them against any monsters that try to attack." He said it like it was no big deal, but Yuffie practically leapt off the bed in a horrified fit.

"Are you kidding me? Do you even know how to _use_ a gun?!" She cried out, tripping over herself in her haste to stand up. She wound up sitting on the floor with her foot caught in a blanket, scowling darkly at Vincent and daring him to try and help her up.

He opened his mouth to ask if she was alright, but a particularly dark look stopped him. "Are you hungry?" He asked instead, trying not to look at her as she fought free of the blanket and stomped over to the bathroom.

"No." She growled before slamming the door and starting a bath.

Vincent sighed and let himself fall back on the bed.

**x:X:x**

"You can't come." He stated forcefully. She brushed him off rudely with a wave of her hand.

"Why not?" Yuffie snapped back.

"Because it's dangerous, go back to the Inn." Vincent replied. Yuffie glared daggers at him.

"Well it shouldn't be if you do your job!" She shot back angrily.

He sighed. She was getting difficult. He hated to admit it, but he could understand where Godo was coming from now.

"I'll get in trouble." Vincent tried to reason. She didn't seem to care, and he hoped she wasn't counting on him getting in trouble and having to find a new job. He was starting to like the sound of this one.

"You can tell them I'm your secretary." Yuffie joked.

"Yuffie…" He pleaded. This was getting tiresome, and he knew his new boss wouldn't like it if she insisted on tagging along all the way into the city.

"Is that it?" She asked curiously, noticing the large truck with a trailer up ahead, parked alongside a building. Vincent's heart fell.

"Yes…" He sighed.

She walked alongside him confidently, and he held his breath as the front door opened and Barret stepped out with a group of men. Vincent stopped right in front of him, with Yuffie stepping up beside him like she was handing him off to a babysitter. The men eyed her cautiously, most of them not willing to even whisper about her due to the death glare directed at them all.

"Uh, Vincent, who's this?" Barret asked nervously, resisting the urge to step away from the young woman as she turned her glare on him. Vincent sighed again.

"This is Yuffie…" He said quietly, turning to put a hand on her shoulder. "My wife."

Barret's eyes got a little rounder and he stared between the two of them for a moment. Some murmurs broke out among the men.

"Wife, huh? She looks awfully young…" Barret started.

"Yes, I know. Thanks for noticing." Yuffie said haughtily, putting her hands on her hips and trying her best to look mature. The men stared at her for a moment longer before she remembered she was here to torment them all day.

"What are you losers staring at? Don't you have rubble to sift through!?" She barked, sending a nervous jolt through the men and walking after them threateningly as they quickly started for the truck.

Barret stared after her for a moment, then turned his eyes back to Vincent.

"She insisted on coming…" He said weakly, almost wincing as she yelled at one of the men for supposedly looking at her lewdly.

"I see." Barret said gravely. "In that case…" Vincent looked over at him worriedly as he turned to his right and leaned down.

"She can watch my daughter while we work!" He grinned again and Vincent stared at the eight year old girl sitting in his arms. He hesitated for a moment as Barret asked her if she was ready to go. She looked at Vincent and blushed, burying her face in Barret's chest shyly.

"Do you always take her with you?" He finally asked, staring at the nervous little girl worriedly. Barret shrugged.

"No, but her sitter skipped town last week and I haven't been able to find a replacement yet. 'Sides, it's never very dangerous out there." He said reassuringly. Somehow Vincent thought he might be making that part up, since it seemed to him an expedition like this _needed_ a security guard, and they didn't seem to have any others besides him…

They walked over to join the men as they started to get settled in, even with Yuffie staring them all down from the ground. She turned to look at Vincent and her eyes softened for a moment.

"Yuffie, is it?" Barret said briskly, walking up to her. She nodded curtly and eyed him.

"This here is Marlene, and since ya wanna come along so bad, I'm gonna give ya the job of watchin' her while us men are workin'." He said commandingly. He looked up at the men seated in the back of the truck and gave them a thumbs up.

"Ready to roll! Vincent, you sit back here, your job starts now." Vincent nodded and pulled himself up into the back of the truck, nodding to the other men gathered there and pulling the gun from his shoulder. Barret motioned for Yuffie to come with him and opened the passenger door for her. She hopped up easily and he closed the door, walking quickly around the other side to climb in and strap Marlene into the seat beside the driver.

He started the truck and it sounded nothing short of a semi. They were already in the outskirts of the city, and big trucks like this weren't allowed to drive through town so they took a worn out road along the western side of the city and out into the countryside. The road was bumpy and rough, and Yuffie was thankful for a seatbelt as the holes jostled the truck around unmercifully.

"So you guys are married?" Barret asked, striking up a conversation.

"Yea." Yuffie replied, gritting her teeth as another bump sent the truck lunging harshly to the side.

"How long?" He asked.

"Um, about two weeks now." Yuffie said loudly over the roar of the engine. She was sure this damn truck could tow a train if it had to.

"Wow, this isn't much of a place for newlyweds to settle down in, yer not runnin' from someone are ya?" He asked jokingly. Yuffie grinned sheepishly and forced a laugh.

A gunshot from the back of the truck jarred her and she spun around in shock so see Vincent standing solidly among the men, who were cowering slightly. He was staring off ahead of them and Yuffie followed his gaze.

"Shit, he's good." Barret said lightly, looking out his window at the large tan wolf-like creature that had been stalking uncomfortably close to them. "People don't tend to notice those damn things until they bite yer ass!" He let out a laugh and Yuffie turned around again to stare up at Vincent. She could have sworn he had told her once he'd never shot a gun before, but he sure looked like he knew what he was doing to her.

Her eyes trailed down to the cowering little girl in the seat beside her, and she bit her lip.

"You okay?" She asked gently, touching the girl's shoulder. She looked up at her and nodded.

The rest of the drive was uneventful, and Yuffie kind of wished she had just stayed behind at the Inn after the first couple of hours. But she had honestly wanted to know what Vincent was getting himself into, and so she sat on top of the truck, taking turns between looking up to admire how alert he was at his post high above them to Marlene sitting next to her with her crayons spread out around her. The men worked diligently, sorting through rubble and carrying usable sheets of metal back to the trailer. Every so often they would find a good piece stuck under too much rubble, and they would make a show out of using a small crane to help out. All in all, it was dirty, grueling, and tough. She had wondered briefly why no women were employed with Barret, but it was obvious now no intelligent woman would take such a job. Yuffie was glad she was assigned to watch Marlene instead. She wasn't usually the type to like hanging around little kids, but this girl was quiet and polite, and she hummed to herself as she colored on some paper. All Yuffie had to do was watch her, she really didn't need to be entertained.

Another gunshot sounded and Yuffie jumped, eyes darting up to the top of the mostly collapsed building Vincent was currently perched on. He was leisurely reloading his new favorite toy, and gazed down to wave an 'it's alright now' signal to the men waiting below nervously. His eyes drifted over to Yuffie and she thought she saw a small smile, but he was looking away scanning the rubble around them again.

"Yuffie?" The small voice asked. She looked down at the little girl beside her and smiled.

"What's up, kid?" She asked, forcing an upbeat attitude to try and ease her out of her shell. She was incredibly shy.

"How old are you?"

It was a strangely direct question from the girl, and Yuffie stared down at her in surprise.

"Oh, um, sixteen." She said softly. Marlene looked down at her paper in thought.

"Do you think when I'm sixteen, I can find a boy like Mr. Valentine?" She asked with a blush. Yuffie smiled widely down at her and laughed.

"No way, Marlene, you'll find a really great guy that loves paying attention to you! Ignore those tall dark and handsome types, they're just for show. Everybody knows it's the quiet sweet ones you really want!" She said, patting the girl on top of the head.

"Quiet sweet ones?" Marlene asked curiously. Yuffie nodded.

"Dark and serious guys aren't any fun, they act like grumpy old guys and never want to do anything unless it's very grown up. You remember that when you get into high school, okay?" Yuffie said seriously. Marlene smiled and nodded.

**x:X:x**

"Good job, men, I'll see ya bright and early tomorrow!" Barret waved briefly as the workers finished unloading the last of the metal scraps.

It was carefully sorted out into piles according to type, and it had taken nearly half the day just to do that. It was certainly a tough job, but builders within the city paid good money for metal these days. It was nearly impossible to get otherwise, and scavenging was dangerous work.

Vincent turned sharply as a hand fell on his shoulder, and he looked down at Yuffie. She was tired and slightly dusty, and gave him a very blatant 'take me home now' look before slumping against his chest.

It was one of the most affectionate gestures she had made since their impromptu wedding, and his hands gripped her shoulders tightly in surprise. He held her close and enjoyed the contact, the past few days had left him feeling emotionally drained.

"Hey." He looked up to see Barret giving them an odd look, and Yuffie groaned and turned her head to peer back at him.

"Good work out there, I knew you were the perfect man for the job when I saw ya! Me and some of the guys are heading out to the bar, ya wanna come along and get an after-work drink?" Barret asked, his hand resting on Marlene's head as he spoke.

"Oh, Yuffie's too young to-" Vincent started, looking down at her carefully.

Barret waved it off. "Nobody checks age in this town, as long as she don't get plastered no one will care!" He grinned and Yuffie looked up at Vincent, giving him a mischievous grin. That was, perhaps, information that Yuffie was better off not knowing.

"Awesome, what are we waiting for! Let's go!" She cheered. She started to slip out of his grasp and reached back, grabbing Vincent's hand. He stopped short when he realized what she'd done, staring down at her hand. She turned to look back at him, following the trail of his eyes down to where her fingers gripped his golden claw, and back up to his face. He stared into her eyes shakily and she knew instantly she had inadvertently hit a nerve.

"What?" She asked, not really seeing a problem. Vincent shook his head suddenly and she stared at him like he'd gone crazy.

"Nothing, I'm sorry…" He said quickly, stepping forward to follow her along the road behind Barret and a couple other guys.

It wasn't that she had touched the fake limb that had shaken him so badly, it was the painful reality he was forced to face that he _couldn't feel _that she had grabbed his hand.

**x:X:x**

The bar wasn't far into town, and Barret hadn't been lying when he said no one checked for age. They walked in confidently and the girl running the bar waved happily.

"Hi, Barret! How was work?" She called over, setting a drink down in front of a man at the counter and rushing over to talk to him. She kneeled down beside him and hugged Marlene, ushering her off behind the counter before anyone really took notice of her.

"Not bad, got a new boy on security today." He turned to Vincent and nodded. "This is Vincent Valentine, best damn shot I've ever seen."

The girl turned to him and nodded in hello, smiling politely. "And this little thing here is his girl, Yuffie." Barret finished, shoving Yuffie forward. She scowled back at him, then turned to smile up at the pretty brunette woman.

"Hi, I'm Tifa. It's nice to meet you!" She said happily. Yuffie eyed her warily, how could anyone in this town be so cheerful?

"Over here, I'll show you our table." One of the men spoke up, talking to Vincent. Yuffie was still staring at the voluptuous barmaid as the group of men wandered away to the back of the room.

"You look-" The girl started.

"Young?" Yuffie cut her off quickly.

"I was going to say Wutain, but yea, I guess you are a little young, huh?" Tifa smiled playfully and motioned for her to come over to the bar. "Have you ever been to Wutai?" Tifa asked curiously. Yuffie looked over at her and nodded.

"A long time ago, my dad took me to Nibelheim after my mom died." She said briskly, flopping down in a chair in front of the counter. It was nice to finally find a girl she could talk to. Tifa nodded as she poured another drink for a man sitting alone at the end of the bar.

"My ex boyfriend lives in Nibelheim!" She said, looking at Yuffie sideways.

"How old are you, anyway?" She added after a moment of thought. Yuffie blushed slightly.

"Sixteen. But I'm turning seventeen soon…" She mumbled. Tifa laughed.

"You two married?" She asked. Yuffie nodded with another blush. "I see, I guess a guy like that only comes along once in a lifetime, better to catch him now then give him time to escape!" She wasn't sure if Tifa was joking or not, but laughed anyway.

She slammed a couple of shot glasses down on the table and sighed dreamily. "You're so lucky…" She breathed. Quickly snapping out of it, she poured a clear liquid into the two glasses and pushed one towards Yuffie.

"I had a man like that once, the kind you know you've got to hold on to. He got away, but I guess that just goes to show it wasn't meant to be." She said quietly, drinking the shot and slamming the glass down again.

"What is this?" Yuffie asked curiously, poking at the shot glass.

"Coconut rum, it kinda tastes like candy. It's a big social drink for girls in this town, but I'm guessing coming from Nibelheim you arn't big on drinking?" She asked with a wink. "Very uptight out there, afraid to let loose and party." She laughed and Yuffie joined in, sipping from the shot glass nervously.

_**End of Chapter Two**_

_Let me just say, Cerberus is one effed up gun. It's some kind of rifle revolver hybrid sort of deal, and I'm really not sure why Vincent needs three barrels, either. Plus you can take the long barrel off and put a shorter one on for shootin' up people close to you. And if you haven't played Dirge of Cerberus, you should really look up some pics of the gun cuz it's really beautiful. _


	14. Settling In

**Disclaimer: **FFVII and Dirge of Cerberus belong to Square-Enix.

**Note:** I really have no excuse for this chapter. Blatant filler, that's what. Please review, I have this suspicion everybody gave up on this story.

**What It Brings**

_**Chapter Three**_

It had been a week since their arrival in Midgar, and Yuffie could reluctantly feel herself adjusting to her new life. Maybe even enjoying it. Something about Vincent holding that gun sent shivers down her spine and made her want to squeal like a middle schooler. He changed when he held it, his face hardened and his eyes seen to sharpen their focus, bringing an all new meaning to the term 'in the zone'. You don't disturb Vincent when he's 'in the zone', just coming close to him while he was so focused was nearly terrifying. But Yuffie was happy to just sit and watch from a safe distance away, relaxing in the afternoon sun with the knowledge that nothing bigger than a flea could get to her without Vincent knowing.

She had learned that one day when a rather scrawny little creature had stalked up on her while she was watching Marlene. The gunshot reverberating off the collapsed buildings around them scared both girls nearly to death, and Yuffie had wasted no time is screaming some rather rude words at him for not warning them ahead of time.

It was also probably the first time she had ever really seen him smile. She had stopped mid-rant to stare at him with startled eyes as he flat out smiled down at her from his perch, relaxing his grip on Cerberus once again. The gesture faded almost as soon as she noticed it, but she continued to stare at him for a long while afterwards out of utter shock.

Then she was angry. He had found that funny! The nerve!

She refused to keep him company during lunch after that, and during their daily visit to the bar he had finally apologized, much to her embarrassment, with a soft kiss right in front of Tifa. The woman had watched shamelessly, smiling happily for the girl. But she had to admit, she got along with Tifa pretty well, and she had at least made one friend in town. Well, two, counting Marlene. The girl was kind of relaxing to be around, she didn't act like other little kids her age.

But back to the point, Yuffie was currently sitting on the bed again, lounging around in her pajamas watching TV. Vincent had left a while earlier without telling her where he was going. He did that fairly often, but she wasn't worried. She had followed him once, and all he really seemed to do was wander around getting used to their new town.

This particular day, however, he had been gone especially long. She had fallen asleep waiting for him, only to wake up alone. The sun would be going down soon, and she stared out the window miserably.

The door flew open and Yuffie jumped, barely suppressing a yelp of surprise. Vincent was standing in the doorway, looking across the room at her with a strange look in his eyes. He closed the door sharply and crossed the room in long strides, and leaned on the bed to pull her into a hug. He held her there for a while, enjoying the smell of her hair as she held onto his arms.

"What got into you?" Yuffie asked quietly. Vincent sighed and hugged her tighter.

"I found a house, Yuffie." He replied. Her eyes went wide and she struggled out of his arms.

"Are you serious?" She asked. He nodded and she leapt up to her feet.

"Why didn't you tell me you were looking? I wanted to help!" She pouted, unable to hide her excitement.

"Get dressed and I'll take you to see it." He said gently. Yuffie jumped off the bed and ran over to where she kept her clothes, scattered on the sofa.

**x:X:x**

It certainly wasn't what someone from a clean cut city like Nibelheim might have expected in a house, but in Midgar, it was common. She stared at it with some mixed feelings, crossing her arms in front of her against the evening chill.

It was small, barely two stories, and due to the lack of wood in this area, it was made from scrap metal welded and riveted together. It was practically a work of art, in a modern sense, and she was itching for a look inside to see if it truly was a house. All of the houses in this neighborhood looked just like it, some bigger and some smaller, but all essentially the same. They were near the outskirts of town, and in her opinion, the houses out here were preferable. It looked more like something from Nibelheim, with a cement road leading to town. The yards around the houses were bare and rocky, however, as was usual with the soil around Midgar. Some better maintained lawns had plants in them and someone had picked out the rocks, but it seemed almost pointless in such a desolate landscape.

"I have the key." Vincent said quietly. Yuffie looked up at him and smiled.

The door opened directly into a large living room, with a doorway to the right and a staircase. There was a doorway leading to the kitchen against the far wall. The door to the right, Yuffie discovered, was the bathroom, and she inspected it for a moment before moving on. The first thing she wanted to see was what was upstairs. She bounded up the stairs ahead of Vincent and found a door at the top. Pushing it open, she found the only bedroom in the house, a spacious room with beautiful windows against the far wall. The ceiling sloped gently with the roof, and she slowly walked into the room.

"Do you like it?" Vincent asked. He couldn't help but feel somewhat ashamed, if his father was still alive he would have referred to this place as being 'servant's quarters'. Vincent himself didn't mind, his father's mansion had been too big, and this place felt more comfortable.

"It's cozy." Yuffie interrupted his thoughts with a beaming smile. He relaxed somewhat and took the hand she offered to him.

Before he could react, she pulled him close and fell down, taking him with her and landing gently against the carpet. He braced himself up against his claw and gazed down at her. She had that mischievous look in her eyes again, and he knew exactly what she wanted. He opened his mouth to object, but stopped when he felt teeth graze against his neck.

She bit him and he flinched slightly, catching that look she gave him before he could try to avoid this again. She was pleading with him silently, and he suddenly felt ashamed. He had denied her a wedding night, even weeks after the event. She wouldn't ignore that fact forever, though he hadn't realized just how much it was affecting her.

So he gave in, right there on the cold carpet in a dark bedroom they had never been in before. He kissed her until he thought his jaw might go numb, raw passion showing through as he helped her pull her shirt up over her head. She tossed it aside and pulled him closer, his elbow finally buckling and pressing his weight against her chest. She didn't mind however, and busied herself with sliding his jacket off.

Despite the significance of it, their movements were desperately rushed, clothing scattered across the floor haphazardly to make room for exploring hands. It was a little awkward, they both discovered, when he momentarily forgot about his metal claw and scraped it along Yuffie's back. She looked up at him and shivered, the sensation tickling and making her struggle. He had been almost horrified by it, though Yuffie thought of it as more of a game, despite the thin scratches across her skin. He hesitated and tried to sit up, only to find Yuffie digging her fingernails into his shoulders and pulling him back down.

Time seemed to stop entirely as their panting breath began to echo in the room, bringing Yuffie's attention to just how disturbingly quiet it really was in the house. She stared up at Vincent poised above her, his bared chest pale and tinged a gentle orange from the dying light outside the window. He gazed down at her sadly for a moment, quickly looking away before she could catch the look in his eyes.

She let out a gasp as he entered her, making her back arch in more than just surprise. By all means, he should have waited longer, build up tension for the moment that would emotionally signify them as a real couple. He was rushed, and she knew it, but didn't voice her opinion. It hurt, in more than one way, and she pressed her face against his shoulder when she knew she couldn't hold back the tears any longer. He wasn't going to see her cry tonight, not during their first time since the wedding, and not during the first time in their new home.

She had imagined it as meaning so much more, maybe some candles or something cheesy like that, a bed, at the very least. She had tried to get him to do this so many times over the past few weeks, and couldn't really believe it was happening this time. There was some underlying emotion to his reasoning, and he refused to voice it to her.

She supposed it really didn't matter now, as he moved so gently against her, managing to stir up those feelings within her, though just barely. He tried to look at her, and knew she was avoiding his gaze. Reaching a hand up, she almost jumped against him as he took her chin and pulled it up to see her face. Tearstains marked her skin, and he frowned slightly, brushing his cheek against her face tenderly. He paused for a moment to kiss her, his hand petting her hair lovingly before slamming back down against the floor with a nearly violent jerk of his muscles.

Somehow, she had managed to put her heart into their actions, and dug her fingernails into his shoulders until she knew she had drawn blood. He grunted slightly in acknowledgement, but didn't stop her. She smiled this time, and arched her back in ecstasy.

If their neighbors were home, she was sure they could hear the enthusiastic noises on both their parts.

**x:X:x**

"What's up?"

Yuffie looked up wearily as the brunette woman set a shot glass in front of her. She poured in the usual rum and Yuffie sighed.

"Vincent has been… weird." She murmured softly. Tifa looked thoughtful and sat down across from her. The bar was relatively empty tonight, with the only real customers Barret and his gang sitting at the table in the back.

Yuffie looked back over her shoulder, taking note that though Vincent was holding a beer, he had yet to take a drink from it. And she was sure the last time Tifa had dropped anything off over there had been nearly an hour ago. She caught the look of concern on Tifa's face before the girl turned away sharply.

"How so?" She asked gently, worried to upset the girl. They had only really known each other for a little over a week, but it wasn't like either of them really had anyone else to talk to. Yuffie eyed her for a moment before reaching out to fiddle with the shot glass.

"Well…" She sighed heavily and downed the shot, forcing herself not to grimace. A shiver ran down her spine anyway and Tifa bit back a giggle. "He's been… ignoring me, I guess you could say." She said softly, staring at the empty glass in front of her and spinning it absently.

"Like ever since we got married things have been really different, it's like he just doesn't want to try and bother keeping me happy since I can't get away now anyway…" Yuffie said miserably.

Tifa was quiet for a moment, glancing between the back table and the depressed teenager in front of her. Vincent was sitting in the corner, his chair turned so he was facing away from Yuffie. The men around him laughed and joked, seemingly oblivious to the unusually quiet gunman.

"Yuffie…" Tifa said gently, looking back down at her. "Why exactly did you two get married?" She asked suspiciously. She knew she had been right when Yuffie blushed and looked away, setting her forehead on the countertop for several long moments before sitting up again and heaving a sigh.

"We really had something special, I knew he was probably going to wind up getting in trouble, but I needed him and I…" She faltered and her voice cracked. "I guess I just didn't care what happened, or didn't think it really would, I'm not sure. But, someone found out about us and reported him, and I wasn't ever going to see him again unless…" Her voice trailed off and Tifa nodded knowingly.

"So you married him, to make the charges void." She finished for her, pouring her another shot as she noticed the tears welling up in Yuffie's eyes. None fell, and she shook her head to collect herself.

"I feel horrible, I can't even tell him. I ruined his life and I wouldn't be surprised if he hates me for it." Yuffie said miserably. Tifa rolled her eyes.

"Yuffie, have you even really looked at him? I mean really, _look_ at him!" She gestured over to the corner, which seemed to have gotten ever so much darker since the man had taken refuge in it.

"He won't look at me." Yuffie said softly, head bowed. Tifa giggled and the girl looked up at her sharply.

"It looks to me like he was thinking the same thing as you, that he ruined your life. I mean really, you're sixteen. People don't marry sixteen year olds, they go to jail for getting involved with them." Yuffie's face fell and Tifa smiled in amusement.

"But he _did_ marry you, which says a lot about how he feels about you. People tend to choose the least painful option, I'm serious. The most painful thing that could have happened to him was losing you, and he's probably starting to realize that now. He's an adult, Yuffie, he knows what he wants and that's not going to change anytime soon. You, however, could grow out of him at any moment, and then he'd be alone and starting over all by himself. So let's just put it this way, most guys tend to be clueless in love, if you want to keep him you'd better step up and show it, because he might not catch on otherwise." She said knowingly, taking out a rag to wipe down the countertop beside them.

Yuffie thought about it for a moment, glancing back once again to see him slouched somewhat unhappily in his seat.

"He's still avoiding me…" Yuffie said almost darkly. Tifa laughed.

"He's giving you room to make a decision. He could come over here and shower you with all the affection he wanted, but it wouldn't give you any room to think about your situation. And chances are you would just get annoyed." She replied, leaning heavily on the counter. Yuffie sighed.

"You sure know a lot about this." She said suspiciously. Tifa grinned.

"When you get to be my age, you'll understand. Hopeless romantics like us have to know how these things work!" She said quietly. Her eyes darted over behind Yuffie and she stepped back, barely giving the girl warning before an arm wrapped around her stomach carefully.

"Ready?" Vincent asked gently, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder. She nodded and smiled.

"Leaving so soon?" Tifa asked in disappointment. Vincent stepped back and Yuffie hopped off the chair.

"Yea, we have a house, but no furniture. And I'm not spending a week sleeping on the floor." She said hesitantly, waving a quick goodbye before following Vincent out the door.

Almost the moment they were out of sight of the bar, he reached out and stopped her, pulling her up against his chest. She braced her hands against him in surprise, but enjoyed every moment of the unexpected gesture. He brushed his face against her hair, making her eyes close happily. His lips brushed over her forehead and he let her go, leading her along again with an arm around her waist.

**x:X:x**

She was nervous. Unnecessarily so, and she hated it. There was absolutely no reason she should be worried, it wasn't like she had to win his heart or anything.

It had been several days since they had gone out together and spent entirely too much money on new furniture. The money left over from when Vincent had sold his father's estate was diminishing, though not alarmingly so. If nothing else, they had a real home now, and Yuffie had spent the past few days arranging the house more to her liking and trying to figure out how to go about the business of cleaning and shopping. Thankfully, Vincent had taken over cooking, so she wouldn't have to worry about burning the house down anytime soon.

But there was still that unfamiliar air between them, more or less driving them apart. The past few nights she had even awoken to find Vincent missing, and wandered around the house in the middle of the night looking for him. She had eventually found him in the backyard, sitting outside the door watching the stars. She hadn't dared to join him, if he wanted to be near her he could come back to bed.

Looking back, she regretted that now. She knew the moment she saw him the next morning he had known she was watching him. He seemed disappointed, but didn't say anything while he made her breakfast.

And so, she was determined to salvage their relationship.

Pushing the front door open, she peeked inside. Vincent was sitting on the floor, cleaning Cerberus almost wearily. He looked up when she forced herself to go into the room, and pushed himself up to his feet. She hadn't told him she was going anywhere, and though he disappeared often, she didn't. She could tell from the look in his eyes he had been worried.

"Yuffie…" He said gently, reaching out to touch her shoulder carefully. His eyes traveled down to the package gripped tightly against her chest, and she blushed lightly.

"Here, it gets so windy out there, I thought you could use it." She said quickly, shoving it into his arms and rushing for the stairs. He didn't stop her, he was too surprised.

Staring down at the package in his hands, he ran his fingers over the paper. It was tied with a white cord, and he pulled it off carefully. The paper fell away and he held up a bundle of heavy crimson fabric. He unfolded it curiously and held it out. It was a cloak, a specially made one, judging from the hand stitched hem. There were buckles down the front, and he ran a hand over them almost absently.

Yuffie was sitting on the bed when he went after her. She was looking out the window, despite the fading light outside. She turned and looked back at him when she heard the door close, giving him a small smile. Vincent crossed the room quickly, and she leaned back nervously as he leapt on the bed. He kissed her roughly and received a squeal in response as he forced her down against the blankets.

_**End of Chapter Three**_

_Please review, it's nice to know what you think so far._


	15. Average Day

**Disclaimer: **FFVII and Dirge of Cerberus belong to Square-Enix. If you don't know that you shouldn't be reading fan fiction…

**Note:** I'm flying down to San Diego this Monday to watch my brother's Marine graduation. It's all very exciting, and has had me running around sorting things out before I go. I've never been on a plane before, for good reason, I'm terrified of flying! Anyway, I'm really sorry this is so late, I rewrote it twice because it sucked ass and I was really angry at it. It's better now, at least, I think it is…

Thank you so much for the support! I feel like a total mooch for wanting so many reviews, but it's really awesome to know you guys are enjoying the story and want to hear more. Though I guess it would kind of surprising to get a review now that said something like "U suxxorz, stop writing you're just making me hate life!" or something… But anyway, thanks so much for reviewing!! I whole heartedly encourage you to continue!

**What It Brings**

_**Chapter Four**_

The obnoxious chirping of some kind of desert bird woke Yuffie from her very peaceful sleep. Her eyes slid open and she immediately stretched, shivering when she noticed the chill settled on her skin. The blankets around her were brand new and rather uncomfortable, but she didn't mind as she pulled one tighter around herself.

She sat up quickly with the sudden realization that she was very naked. The sunshine through the window landed warmly on her bare leg, which was sticking haphazardly out of the covers. She pulled her knees up to her chest and blushed, looking down mischievously at the man curled up beside her.

Her memories from the night before came flooding back, and she smiled happily, reaching out to brush her hand through his hair. He had obviously been nothing short of ecstatic that she had gone through all the trouble of getting him a present, and had wasted absolutely no time in showing her how much he appreciated it. She sighed happily, laying back down beside him and wrapping an arm around his stomach. He shifted slightly, but didn't wake up.

She couldn't help but smile and brush her fingers along his stomach, feeling the muscles tense slightly at her touch. It was awkward, but she kind of liked it. They hadn't really been together for very long, and it was the first time they had been undressed around each other for an extended period of time.

She let her hands drift back around to dance lightly against his back, tracing lines across the smooth skin. Pressing soft kisses along his shoulder, he turned to look back at her.

"Hey." She said quietly, still not completely awake. He didn't reply, but pulled her down for a hug.

"I love you." He said quietly. Yuffie felt herself blush, and slid out of his arms to throw her feet over the side of the bed.

"I love you too." She said shyly, afraid to look back and see if he was watching her. She grabbed a change of clothing from a basket next to the bed and started for the door, rubbing her face to hide the dark blush. She wasn't sure if she was ever going to get used to being naked around him.

**x:X:x**

"We're goin' to a new section, today. Hope ya don't mind." Barret said loudly as the two newest members of the team hurried over to the truck. He eyed Vincent up and down for a moment. "Nice cloak." He added before helping Marlene into her seat.

Yuffie couldn't get the smile off her face the entire ride into the old city, watching the scenery through the window cheerfully. The sun was shining brightly and Yuffie closed her eyes to enjoy the heat on her face. For once, the drive didn't seem to take so long, and she threw open the door to leap onto the ground. She followed Marlene as she wandered over to a nearly flat slab of concrete and sat down, spreading out her paper and crayons.

Yuffie sat down on the edge of the concrete, legs spread out comfortably as she relaxed and felt the sun on her face. It was about as exciting as her days got, but at least she was in a good mood.

She looked up at the ledge that Vincent had chosen this time. He was crouched with his gun resting across his knees, the dark red cloak fanning out around him on the ground. Part of it draped over the ledge, and Yuffie couldn't help but feel a little creeped out. He was pretty intimidating, it seemed like he had gotten a little darker and more with drawn since they moved out here.

Yuffie smiled to herself, how she had caught his eye she would probably never understand.

**x:X:x**

It was well past noon and Yuffie was ready for the day to be over. She was laying out flat on the concrete shelf, staring up at the clouds as they passed overhead. She had taken Marlene for a walk around the site, under Vincent's watchful eyes, of course, and the interesting point of her day were exhausted.

So it was very exciting when she heard an unusual sound, like a low hum or a buzz, coming close to them.

She jumped up from her spot curiously, and looked up to see Vincent looking out over the ruins of the city, slightly tense as he watched someone approaching.

Yuffie almost couldn't believe her eyes as the motorcycle came to a grinding halt across the makeshift road from her. She stood there in surprise and stared at the man as he pulled off his riding glasses and tossed them on the seat. He shook out his hair and stepped around the heavy bike, looking smug and unamused as he surveyed the sight.

"Cloud!" Marlene shouted, leaping up from her spot and running over to him. She threw herself against him happily and Yuffie watched as he bent down to hug the small girl, giving her a smile before standing up again and resting a hand on her head.

"Hey!" Barret shouted, jogging over to them with a grin on his face. "What're you doin' out here, Strife?" He asked, patting the blonde man on the back.

"If you came 'ta join my team, yer too late! Vincent here already took the job." He said, motioning up to the ledge where Vincent was crouched. He moved forward and swung himself over the ledge, landing easily on the ground below. Barret took a step back and gave him a slightly wary look, but Cloud didn't move a muscle.

The two men stood staring each other down for a moment, and when Vincent finally relaxed Yuffie knew he must have decided the man was no threat. You couldn't be too careful around Midgar these days, if someone looked dangerous, they most likely were.

"Cloud Strife." The man said, holding out a hand hesitantly. Vincent accepted the brief and slightly tense handshake.

"Vincent Valentine." He said flatly, giving the younger man a wary glance.

"Valentine, huh?" Cloud replied, looking suspicious and a little surprised. "Any relation to Grimoire Valentine?" He asked, his voice hinting at slight distaste.

"My father." Vincent said. The two men stared at each other for another tense moment.

"What are you doing all the way out here? I thought you were his heir." Cloud asked almost threateningly. Yuffie glanced between them nervously, and noticed Barret inch away from them slightly.

"Simply because he was my father does not mean I wish to become him." Vincent said darkly. Cloud seemed to accept this answer and nodded. Apparently that was what had he wanted to hear from him. Yuffie was curious now, she'd have to ask about Vincent's father later on when they were alone.

Marlene had wandered back to her drawing and Yuffie turned to look at her for a moment.

"So what're ya doin' out here Cloud?" Barret asked again after the tension had died down. Cloud moved back around his motorcycle and grabbed something that was strapped to the back of the seat.

"Delivery. That's my job, remember?" He said with a small grin, tossing the box to Barret.

Yuffie sighed and turned to sit back down again when something caught her eye. She moved forward and looked over the edge of a jagged old wall.

"Vincent!!" She shrieked, dashing forward as a huge dragon-like creature leapt at Marlene. She somersaulted over the girl, her feet slamming forcefully into the monster's face. It reeled back in pain and scraped a claw across its face furiously. Vincent turned and darted forward, pointing his gun at the creature as it moved in for another attack. His hand was shaking and his eyes widened in fear, the creature was too close to Yuffie and he wasn't sure that he could hit it. He hadn't even known he could shoot a gun until last week, and he wasn't about to gamble with her life on a hunch that in some unexplainable way he could hit it between the eyes from where he was.

"It's too close, don't try it!" Cloud shouted, hitting something on his bike and standing back as a shelf popped open with an array of swords. He grabbed one and ran after Vincent as he dashed towards the two girls.

The monster swung an arm at Yuffie as she braced herself over Marlene. She blocked its attack, but the force sent her tumbling back against a wall. Stars exploded across her line of vision and she tried to stand up, only to fall over again as the ground rushed up to where the sky should be. She felt her stomach lurch and her head was pounding angrily.

"Marlene, run!" She cried shakily, gripping her head and squeezing her eyes shut to try and make everything stop spinning.

There was a terrified shriek and she cursed, pulling her hands away in a desperate grab for the girl. She fell on her knees and looked up in horror to see Marlene gripped in the monster's mouth by the back of her dress, covering her head and staring back at it with wide eyes. Vincent cried out to her, and she looked over, feeling her elbows give way with the motion.

"Marlene!" He shouted, rocks flying everywhere as the creature turned and ran, prize gripped securely between its teeth. He started after it, raised his gun, and shot it in the leg before leaning down to check if Yuffie was alright.

Cloud brushed past him, dashing after the monster with Barret at his heels. Yuffie looked up and was somewhat surprised to find Vincent leaning over her. Her back was against the concrete now and she looked around in confusion as he helped her to her feet. Something was dripping down her arm, and she stared down at the dark red liquid seeping into her clothing.

"Oh…" She breathed, reaching up to feel the back of her head again. Vincent's hand shook slightly and he placed his fingers against her jaw, turning her head gently to see how badly she was hurt. It wasn't terrible, she must have caught it on a sharp edge when she hit the wall, but it was enough for him to become deeply concerned.

"Have someone take you back to the city. Tell Tifa what happened and get that looked at." He said sternly, kissing her before turning and running after the two other men.

She stared after him, wincing in pain and leaning heavily on a jutting edge of cement. She let out a soft curse and turned to look at the group of workers now staring at her.

"Great…" She mumbled, stepping forward towards the truck.

**x:X:x**

It had taken a lot of arguing, but she got one of the men working for Barret to drop her off at Tifa's bar. He hadn't wanted to leave her there alone, so despite her complaints, he stuck by to keep an eye on her.

"Oh my god, Yuffie, what happened?!" Tifa shrieked, throwing down a towel and jumping over the bar to grab the girl's shoulders and look at the blood dripping down onto her pale skin.

"We were attacked! This big monster came out of nowhere and slammed me into a wall and took Marlene! We've gotta go after them!" Yuffie said hurriedly, trying to pull away from Tifa's grasp.

"Calm down, Yuffie, you've got a gash on the back of your head, if you hadn't noticed. We're patching this up or you're not leaving this bar." Tifa said sternly, pulling her over to a door in the back.

Yuffie's stubborn fits didn't work on an experienced woman like Tifa, and she wound up sitting on the edge of the bathtub with half her hair pinned on top of her head as Tifa dabbed a wet washcloth over her skin.

"It's not so bad, but you should really go to the doctor and get some stitches." She said quietly once Yuffie had calmed down enough to pout angrily.

"I'm not going to the doctor." She said flatly. "Stitch it up yourself!"

Tifa smiled in amusement.

**x:X:x**

Vincent jumped up on top of a pile of debris, staring down at the ground around him carefully. They had lost track of the monster that had taken Marlene, and for the past half hour had been following it by bloody tracks it left behind. It took a few minutes of searching, but he spotted a smear of blood on a large rusted pipe and called over his shoulder to the two other men searching through the piles of broken down metal and concrete.

He followed the trail for a while before pausing to look around. He was standing in what looked like an old tunnel, and it sloped down violently. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed Barret drawing up beside him.

"That's the slums, down there. That thing must live there or somethin'." He said in a low growl. Cloud paused beside them and they exchanged looks.

"Could be really bad down there." Cloud said seriously. Vincent nodded and glanced over at Barret.

"Well let's go!" The man said loudly, charging down the tunnel ahead of them.

It didn't take long to reach the bottom, and they stepped out into dying sunlight, shining down through the gaping hole where the upper plate used to be. Vincent couldn't help but stare in awe, it was an incredibly beautiful sight. He had never been so deep in the ruins of Midgar, and few people dared to come back down because of all the monsters.

A shrill scream echoed through the ruins around them, jarring Vincent to his senses and sending a shiver through the two other men.

"Marlene!" Barret shouted desperately, looking back and forth as if expecting her to appear somewhere. He was answered by a terrified scream for help and took off running again.

"I see her!" Cloud shouted, pointing to their left and leaping over a low cement wall that had long since fallen over.

Vincent moved quickly, jumping up on top of a pile of scrap metal and aiming his gun. Barret paused and looked back when he heard a gunshot, about to scream at Vincent not to shoot when a pained roar caught him by surprise, and he spun in time to see the creature stumble and fall, slamming into the ground painfully with a gunshot wound to its left thigh.

Cloud was on it in a flash, slicing into its stomach and jumping to the side to grab Marlene as the creature swung an arm around, claws flashing angrily in the fading light. He threw Marlene to the side as it lunged at them, and Barret grabbed her and pulled her back to a safe distance.

The fight was over quickly, and Cloud stumbled back tiredly to stare at where his sword was stuck through the monster's skull. Vincent was impressed, Cloud was a soft-spoken man, but turned ruthless when he was in a battle. He wiped the sweat from his face and turned to look back at where Barret was comforting Marlene. He walked over slowly, cloak sweeping behind him almost threateningly. Barret turned to look up at him, the relief clear on his face and he nodded up at him.

"And chance ya guys could see 'bout a fire? We're gonna hafta camp here tonight, I don't wanna try hiking outta here in the dark" He said quietly, for once. The events of the day had definitely taken their toll. Vincent nodded in response and started towards out into the ruins, away from the other two men. There was a severely dried and decaying pile of wood not too far away, and he could only assume it had at one point been a house. He gathered up as much as he could carry and started back.

Dropping the wood down not too far from the monster's body, he kneeled down and started to clear a space for the fire. He used a piece of metal to carve away a small crater and lined the edge with bits of cement. Satisfied that it was a good spot for a campfire that would most likely have to burn all night, he arranged the wood and glanced over to Cloud.

"Do you have a lighter?" He asked quietly. Cloud looked over at him, almost surprised that he had been talking to him, before sitting up and digging in his pocket. Pulling out a box of matches, he kneeled down beside Vincent and started the fire.

Both men sat back, staring into the fire rather awkwardly. It was getting dark fast, and Vincent looked up to see stars glistening in the night sky overhead. He let out a sigh and started to wonder how Yuffie was doing. It was quiet, there wasn't much living down here in the ruins of the old city slums, and it was more than a little eerie.

"So what are you doing out here?" Cloud asked casually, glancing over at him as the light form the fire danced around them.

Vincent was quiet for a moment, not sure if he really cared to tell him. He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. "It's a long story." He said simply.

Cloud eyed him for a moment. "It has something to do with that girl, doesn't it?" he asked knowingly, too curious to drop the subject. He knew very well where Vincent belonged, the broken down remains of Midgar was hardly a place for a man of his importance to be found.

"Yuffie…" He breathed, closing his eyes for a moment as her image swam through his mind. "Yes, I suppose she is the reason I'm here." He looked up at the sky again, fingers brushing against the cold metal arm that served as a reminder of why they were hiding.

"Who is she?" Cloud asked quietly, eyes trailing down to stare at the golden claw.

"My wife." Vincent said pointedly, looking over at Cloud again. He seemed surprised and, for a moment, startled by Vincent's crimson eyes.

"Your wife? She can't be over sixteen." He replied, not seeming to care if it sounded rude. Vincent nodded and looked away again.

"She is sixteen, and no, she shouldn't have to be here." He said softly.

Cloud was quiet, and Vincent started to wonder if he was going to start something over having married Yuffie so young.

"What are you hiding from?" He asked instead. Vincent almost winced, he didn't like thinking about it like that.

"Unfortunately, Yuffie seems to have attracted unwanted attention from someone who now wishes her harmed. Her father asked me to hide her for her protection." Vincent replied in a near mumble.

Cloud looked doubtful. "You didn't marry her just so you could legally bring her here." He said suspiciously.

Vincent looked over at him. "No, I didn't." he replied, fighting back the smile that threatened to cross his face at the thought.

There was another uncomfortable silence, and they stared off into the fire. After a while Barret brought Marlene over and set her down next to Cloud for comfort. He sat down across form them with a heavy sigh.

"Thanks, you two." He said quietly, rubbing his face wearily.

_**End of Chapter Four**_

_It's 1:25 am and I don't feel like proofreading this, if there's anything really annoying let me know and I'll fix it. _


	16. Reality Sets In

**Disclaimer: **I don't own FFVII, it belongs to Square-Enix.

**Note: **I'm sorry this chapter is so late! I have been really busy toying with the idea of starting an original graphic novel, and found myself sketching uncontrollably rather than sitting at my computer like I should be. Excuses aside, thank you so much, everyone who has followed this story so far!! Thank you for your reviews and support, you have no idea how much your approval means to me! Now let's just say, I really hate myself for the end of this chapter…

**What It Brings**

_**Chapter Five**_

"Yuffie, slow down!"

She turned to look back at the woman stumbling awkwardly several meters behind her. One of Barret's worker's grabbed her arm to steady her just as she tripped.

It was dark, the moon had long since sunk down past the horizon. The only light shining down around them was from the stars overhead. Yuffie clutched a small flashlight in front of her. Her hand shook slightly as she searched once again for the blood trail she knew should be nearby.

"Yuffie…" Tifa sighed, pulling herself over a crumbled cement wall.

"Over here." Yuffie called out, noticing a smear of blood on a huge metal pipe.

Tifa watched worriedly as the shadowy form of the younger girl disappeared from sight. The faint glow from her flashlight was barely visible as Tifa scrambled over a mile of debris to the pipe. They'd been tracking the blood trail the monster had left behind, and she was surprised they had managed to track it this far. Yuffie was better at following the trail than she would have thought, it almost seemed like she could smell it or something. Her legs shook slightly as she jumped over a broken down old wall, and she sighed. It was late, so late it was early morning. She knew they were all tired, well, all of them but Yuffie.

She had been almost severely quiet since she had been released from the hospital not long ago. The doctor had cleaned her gash, gave her some stitches, and told her to get some rest. Tifa knew she had pushed her luck getting Yuffie to even go to the hospital, it was all she could do to tag along and make sure Yuffie stayed safe in the meantime. She had hurried back to the worksite, only to vanish out into the ruins of the city when the workers still waiting there anxiously had told her Vincent and the others still hadn't come back.

"Yuffie!" Tifa called, realizing she had lost the younger woman in the darkness of the tunnel. She stumbled along, following the faint scuffing noises from up ahead. Her hand brushed against the cold metal wall and she shuddered. She hated it out here, the city was absolutely dead.

**x:X:x**

Cloud was keeping watch when they heard the crash of disturbed debris in the distance. Not that he needed to be, Vincent found himself unable to sleep and had been sitting beside the fire for the past several hours. He was on his feet before Cloud had even turned to alert him, gun in hand and facing the direction the noise had come from.

Both men tensed as footsteps echoed faintly around them. Vincent exhaled sharply as a pale, familiar face drifted into view in the light from the campfire. Dropping his gun, he rushed forward to her, pulling her into a worried hug.

"Yuffie, what are you doing here?" He asked softly. She didn't answer, but dug her fingers into the back of his shirt. After a few tense moments, he released her and held her back at arm's length.

"How are you feeling?" Vincent asked, letting his fingers drift over the bandage wrapped around her head.

"I'm okay…" Yuffie mumbled, finally glancing around. She could see the blonde man from earlier not too far away. What was his name? Cloud, or something, wasn't it? She remembered thinking it was a silly name for such a dark and gloomy man. Barret was snoring against an old wall across the fire from them, with Marlene curled up beside him fast asleep. She was about to ask him what had happened when hurried footsteps sounded loudly behind them.

"Tifa…" Yuffie murmured, stepping back from Vincent towards her as she walked into the firelight. She was fuming and looked like she was about to scold Yuffie when the man beside them caught her attention and she stopped.

"Cloud!" She yelped in surprise, her cheeks seeming to darken despite the dim light.

"Hey, Tifa." Cloud said awkwardly. Yuffie rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Does everyone know everyone else in this town?" She groaned.

Tifa let out a nervous giggle. "Cloud is actually my ex boyfriend." She said hurriedly. Yuffie gave her a suspicious glance.

"What are you two doing out here? You should be at home resting, Yuffie." Vincent said sternly. Yuffie pouted slightly and Tifa sighed heavily.

"Well, you guys never came back. We were worried, nobody knew what happened!" Tifa said accusingly.

Neither of the men dared respond to the angered woman, and after a few awkward moments of looking back and forth at each other, Vincent took Yuffie's hand and led her back beside the fire. It was going to be a long, miserable night.

**x:X:x**

"Ugh, I need a shower." Yuffie groaned, stumbling tiredly as Vincent hoisted her over a low ledge. She stood aside and waited as he pulled himself over, glancing around at the small group.

"Getting your injury wet is probably not a good idea, Yuffie. You should wait a few days before washing your hair." Vincent said quietly, the lack of sleep finally seeming to affect him. Yuffie groaned loudly in protest and shuffled a few steps away to pretend she hadn't heard him.

Barret was at the front of the group, holding Marlene on his shoulders and talking to the three men that had follow Yuffie and Tifa out into the city the night before. Cloud was hanging around near the back, avoiding Tifa despite her attempts at a lively conversation with him.

The sight of the truck, still parked at the previous day's worksite, brought a relieved sigh from Yuffie. She leaned her head heavily on Vincent's shoulder, grumbling incoherently and more or less dragging herself forward.

They were all relieved to throw themselves back into the truck, and after a fair amount of begging and angry reasoning, Tifa got Cloud to agree to take her back to town himself.

Yuffie couldn't remember the drive home, and judging how her neck hurt, she guessed she had fallen asleep. Vincent was carrying her when she woke up, not that she was about to complain.

The next time she woke up only a faint orange glow was visible through the window. The sun was setting, and she was sure she had slept at least thirteen hours. The faint light in the room was just bright enough that she could see the man sleeping peacefully beside her. She couldn't help but smile, brushing her fingers down the bridge of his nose and watching him shift and bury his face in the blanket.

Throwing herself out of bed, she stretched and ran her fingers through her hair, pausing when she felt the heavy bandage still wrapped around her head. Looking down at Vincent, he was still sound asleep. She decided he must have waited several hours to crawl into bed and shrugged, grabbing some clean clothes and heading for the door.

She was surprised to find Tifa's bar open when she walked by, and opened the door hesitantly to peer inside. It was fairly well packed, and she immediately spotted Cloud sitting at the bar. She hurried inside and smiled over at Tifa as she set some drinks on a table before hurrying back around the counter. Yuffie took a seat next to the rather dark blonde man and tried her best to pretend he wasn't there as Tifa leaned over the counter to grin at her.

"Feeling better, I see?" She asked happily. Yuffie nodded almost numbly, watching curiously as Tifa seemed to stare at Cloud while talking to her. She wondered if her crush was as obvious to Cloud as it was to everyone else. He was leaning over the counter with an empty glass in one hand and didn't appear to know she was there.

"I can't believe you're running the bar tonight." Yuffie said, eyeing Cloud suspiciously as he seemed to notice there was a minor in the bar.

"Nights are always busy, we've only been open for a few hours." She said casually, finally tearing her eyes away from Cloud. She leaned down and dug around under the counter for a moment and handed a bottle of water over to Yuffie.

"You look kind of pale. You should probably go back to see that doctor again, he really didn't want to release you yet." Tifa said with concern, feeling Yuffie's forehead to make sure she didn't have a fever. Cloud turned towards them, more or less interested with Yuffie's company.

"I heard you were from Nibelheim." Cloud said shortly, looking her up and down as if he doubted it. "It's pretty rare these days to see people from a city like that move all the way out _here_." The way he said it, Yuffie was sure he thought of Midgar as being a bit of a hellhole.

"Cloud…" Tifa started, dropping her shoulders in exasperation. He held up a hand to reassure her he wasn't stirring up trouble, and lowered his voice.

"I don't know what you and Vincent have been through, but running to Midgar for protection has never seemed like an intelligent decision to me." He said seriously. Yuffie felt a pang of anger, but could tell from his voice that he was concerned for her safety and not just being an ass. She felt herself bristle, but held it back.

"Are you really sure you know Vincent? Do you know anything about his past? Has he ever told you about his father, other than starting that dominating business of his?" Cloud asked quietly, his voice harsh in her ear as she felt her cheeks heat up in anger.

"Your husband is either very stupid or extremely smart, and I think it's time you found out which it is, because neither is very safe in this town. There's a reason he thought it would be safe to bring you here, it might be in your best interest to find out what it is he knows about this city."

"Cloud, that's enough." Tifa said icily, slamming a hand down on the countertop. "Being a Valentine does not make him evil!" She hissed. He seemed amused by her anger, smiling up at her sweetly from his seat.

"Vincent's a good guy. He might not tell me everything, and he might have done something he's not proud of, but I know he's going to take care of me." Yuffie stated, glaring back at Cloud. He was unfazed, and asked Tifa for another drink.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence and Tifa leaned on the counter keeping an eye on the two of them. The door to the bar opened and she forced herself to straighten up and mutter a greeting. It was just enough to make Yuffie turn and look, and she stared in shock at the man that passed behind her. They locked eyes for a moment, he gave her a playful wink, and seated himself at the end of the bar.

Yuffie felt her blood run cold, and she flattened her palms against the countertop. She forced herself to look straight ahead, trying to make it seem like she hadn't recognized him. Unfortunately, Cloud had noticed she recognized him, and eyed the man suspiciously for a moment before glancing back at her.

"What's the matter?" He asked in a hushed voice. Yuffie gulped and shook her head.

"I gotta go. I need to talk to Vincent." She said hurriedly, getting up from her seat and walking quickly to the door.

She knew the moment she stepped outside into the cool night air that someone was following her. It wasn't that they were particularly loud, but she just _knew_ someone was following her. Picking up her pace, she took a few turns down a side street to stall for time as she tried to figure out what to do. If she went home to find Vincent, they would know where she lived. If she went back to the bar, they would know she had figured it out and probably stir up some trouble and someone might get hurt.

She rounded another corner and collided with someone's chest. Letting out a surprised shriek, Yuffie fell backwards, only to stare up at Cloud's disturbingly blue eyes as he grabbed her arm to steady her.

"What is your problem?!" Yuffie shrieked, bouncing in place to try and calm her flustered nerves.

"I was worried, so I came after you." He admitted, watching in slight confusion as she walked in a circle and glowered at him.

"Who is that guy, and why did he scare you so badly?" Cloud demanded. Yuffie was quiet for a moment, wondering if she could actually trust Cloud, or if she even wanted to.

She sighed, hugging herself and glancing up and down the small street they were standing on. "That was one of the guys that tried to kill me and Vincent." She said softly, her voice so low he almost didn't hear her.

He couldn't help but stare for a moment to try and decide if she was serious. "That red-headed kid tried to kill you?" He mumbled, almost more to himself. Yuffie nodded nervously, and Cloud rubbed a hand across his face.

A shadow down the street flickered out of view and Yuffie jumped, bringing her attention back to the current problem.

"Um, Cloud?" She whispered lightly, tugging on his sleeve. "Someone's been following me."

"Great." He groaned, glancing back and forth down the street.

**x:X:x**

"Vincent!" Tifa cried out as he pushed open the bar door.

He looked over at her in surprise as she dashed around the side of the counter to him.

"I think Yuffie's in trouble! This guy with red hair came in and she started acting weird! She just got up and left!" She said hurriedly.

"Where did she go?" He asked quickly, turning halfway back towards the door.

"I don't know, I sent Cloud after her when I realized what was going on. After she left the guy that scared her starting talking on a cell phone, then left without even getting a drink." She had barely finished her sentence when he threw open the door.

"Vincent! What's going on?" She asked fearfully. He turned back to her and for once she could see the near panic in his eyes.

**x:X:x**

"What are we doing here?" Yuffie asked nervously.

It was dark, and she was starting to wonder if they were even supposed to be in there. It was a massive building, compared to most in the struggling remnants of Midgar. It almost looked abandoned, almost. There was a path through the dust and small bits of debris that suggested more than one person trudged through here daily.

"I need to keep you safe, if I don't Vincent will shoot me." He said flatly. Yuffie rolled her eyes. Yes, being friends had nothing to do with it. He didn't seem like the kind of guy that would admit to having friends anyway.

"Yes, but why are we _here_?" Yuffie mumbled darkly, glancing around as if expecting some kind of monster to come scrambling out of the shadows at her.

"We're here because…" Something stopped him and he turned, listening intently for a moment as Yuffie spun around in fear.

A gunshot echoed down the street outside and Yuffie gasped, stepping forward before Cloud pushed her aside and got in between her and the doorway.

The doors slammed open as they both stared in surprise as Vincent stepped in, holding Cerberus in one hand and glancing around in angry panic.

There were more gunshots outside and he slammed the door again, locking it as a rain of bullets hit the thick metal door.

"Yuffie." He said darkly, towering over her menacingly as she hesitated. He reached into his coat and pulled something out, shoving it somewhat rudely into her face.

"Take your cell phone next time you insist on going out alone." He said, his tone softening despite his emotional state.

"How did you find me?" She asked in a small voice, clutching the phone to her chest protectively.

As if to answer her question, a window above them shattered and the three of them fell back, Vincent pulling her close as broken glass cascaded across the floor.

"It wasn't difficult, they're not hiding the fact that they're after you." He said quietly, dropping the now useless gun as a shadowy figure leapt at him.

Yuffie scrambled back as the two men rolled haphazardly across the floor, glass crunching beneath them as they struggled. She recognized the red haired man from the bar almost instantly, watching in horror as he managed to pin Vincent beneath him. The silhouette of a metal bar caught her eye and he raised it above his head. Yuffie was about to lunge for him when a flash of reflected light caught her eye and the man screamed, clutching his face and falling back.

Sputtering angry curses, he finally let out a chuckle and stood back as Vincent climbed to his feet, his usually golden claw dripping with blood.

"What's going on out here?!"

The flustered female voice caught their attention and everyone stopped to look back at the woman in the doorway. Her soft brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, with her loose bangs framing her pale face.

"Reno, let's go!"

They turned again to watch as the red haired man darted back through the shadows to join another man, leaping out the window in retreat.

"Excuse me?" The woman asked again to the remaining party. Cloud stepped forward shaking his head in amusement.

"Sorry, we ran into some trouble and I couldn't think of anywhere else safe to bring her." He gestured over his shoulder at Yuffie, who in turn looked around to make sure she was the troublemaker he was referring to before fuming.

"Well apparently it's not as safe here as it used to be." She joked lightly, stepping forward to inspect the bandage around Yuffie's head curiously.

"Vincent, Yuffie, this is Lucrecia." Cloud said, gesturing towards the woman as if they didn't know who he was talking about.

She brushed her fingers over Yuffie's forehead experimentally and she felt her stomach lurch.

_**End of Chapter Five**_

_Craptastic! I'm so tired I think my face just melted off!_


	17. Biting Back

**Disclaimer: **See previous chapters.

**Note: **Well, I haven't gotten any death threats or complaints about how late this chapter is. That must mean you've all given up hope. Other than that, I was looking at my stats page and couldn't believe it when I saw how many hits this story had. There's quite a number of silent readers out there. I love you guys, too! And I'm sorry this chapter isn't longer...

**What It Brings**

_**Chapter Six**_

Yuffie really couldn't say she hated her, but she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling she got when the woman was nearby. She knew a lot of women liked Vincent, for obvious reasons, and she had never really cared until now. She didn't think the woman even knew she was flirting with him.

"I can't believe _you _didn't know about this place, Vincent!" She said in amusement. "This used to be one of the labs your father employed, up until about two years before his death. Shelke was actually one of the terminal children he experimented on. He saved her life, but you can see the price she had to pay. She's been ten years old for the past twenty years."

Lucrecia definitely liked her job. No matter how Yuffie tried to look at that, she couldn't help but feel repulsed that the man had actually experimented on children, even if he did want to find a way to save them. The girl Lucrecia had mentioned was sitting in the corner, staring at a computer screen and completely ignoring them. Yuffie hadn't seen her move since they had arrived half an hour ago.

"Grimoire never told you about his labs?" She asked curiously, leaning a bit closer to Vincent than Yuffie was comfortable with. Stepping up beside him, she forced herself not to glare and grabbed his arm. He glanced down at her for a moment, sensing that she was upset, but not bringing attention to it. He rested a hand on her lower back instead, and she watched as Lucrecia walked over to a large computer and starting typing on it.

"Cloud doesn't approve of Grimoire's experiments, but he really was brilliant." She said absently. That seemed to strike a nerve in Vincent.

"He is not the only one. My mother killed herself because of his experiments." He said in a hushed voice. Yuffie's eyes shot up to his face in shock, as did everyone else's in the room. Cloud looked a bit ashamed of himself, and Lucrecia looked like Leviathan himself had just disowned her.

"Oh… I'm… I'm so sorry, Vincent…" She said in horror, a hand covering her mouth. She reached back and clicked off the computer screen, her task forgotten as she blushed in distress.

Yuffie wasn't sure what to do, he didn't look like he needed comforting, and he didn't look angry. They were obviously done talking about his father, and she followed along as he started to move towards a desk. There was a photo of Grimoire himself on it, and Yuffie noted in shock that he was holding a small child. Vincent had noticed too, and picked up the photo.

"Oh my god, Vincent, is that you?" She blurted out, unable to hold back the amused smile as seeing a picture of him when he was a child. She thought she saw a hint of a smile, but he put the picture back down on the desk and shuffled through some papers instead. After a few minutes, the shock and awkwardness seemed to wear off of everyone in the room, and Lucrecia leaned casually against the wall.

"So what brings you here? Just what kind of trouble did you guys stir up?" She was trying to be cheerful to cover up the recent awkward situation she'd caused. Yuffie bit back a rude outburst, trying to tell herself she hadn't given her enough time to earn her dislike.

"Yuffie here managed to attract some unwanted attention. Those men you saw have tried to kill her before." Cloud said before she could come up with a rude response.

"Not just me, Vincent too." Yuffie muttered darkly.

"Hmm, lovely." Lucrecia said grimly. "What are you going to do about it? You can't run forever."

The small group looked around at each other.

"I suppose we had not thought about it." Vincent admitted. He had been busy trying to build a new life for them, and having them find him so soon was beyond surprising. There really wasn't anywhere to hide, they were going to have to fight.

"I know what you're thinking! It's not going to work! No way! Vincent hadn't even touched a gun until we got here, how could you possibly expect him to fight those guys?!" Yuffie cried. "And I can't fight at all!"

Cloud snickered. "Like we'd really expect you to fend for yourself, Yuffie. I know some people that would be happy to help, if nothing else than to help rid the world of another worthless sack."

Vincent glanced over at him appreciatively. "Thank you. I'm sorry we have become so much trouble."

"Doing the right thing should never be considered troublesome, Vincent." Lucrecia said softly.

**x:X:x**

Over the next couple of days Vincent refused to let Yuffie leave the old laboratory. Lucrecia showed them some old hidden entrances to the lab, so it would be safer for Cloud and Vincent to get out unnoticed, and the first place they went was to Tifa's bar. Cloud had been right on two accounts, the lab was an impressive safe house, and several people he knew wanted to join their fight.

Yuffie had heard that Barret had wholeheartedly agreed to protect them. Another man she hadn't met had jumped at the opportunity to do some good. Tifa herself came to visit Yuffie as she hid in the lab.

"I'm going to help." Were the first words out of her mouth. She gave Yuffie a determined look, and the younger girl couldn't hide the shock on her face.

"You know how to fight? Like really fight?" Yuffie said dumbly. Tifa grinned.

"I'm going to teach _you_ how to fight." Tifa replied, the amusement obvious on her fair features as she lead Yuffie into one of the makeshift bedrooms in the back of the lab.

"I brought you something." Tifa said, pulling the backpack from her back and unwrapping the bulky looking package attached to it.

"Wow, it's heavy." Yuffie stated, staring down at it. She slowly pulled the brown packing paper off of it and stared down at the present in shock.

"Oh my god, Tifa, you can't give me this!" She shrieked, holding out the ancient weapon at arm's length. It was a beautiful four-pointed giant shuriken, polished despite the blemishes adorning its once pristine metal surface. Brand new red leather straps had been added to the hand grips recently, and Yuffie could tell it was because the old leather had long since worn out or simply rotted away. The tips were all sharpened to perfection, despite being obviously worn from years of use.

"You don't have a choice, I'm not taking it back." Tifa stated. "Every time I look at that I can't help but think of you."

"But Tifa, this is an antique! It should probably be in a museum!" Yuffie's voice wavered slightly, she was no stranger to Wutain history. This particular shuriken was rare, to the point that newer models were used in formal plays as a symbol of expertise on the battlefield.

"Where did you get it?" Yuffie asked quietly, setting it on her bed as if she might break it.

"Some guy traded it for alcohol one night." Tifa shrugged. She dug around in her backpack for a moment and pulled out a pair of gloves.

"So, you ready to learn how to fight?" She asked, stepping out into the hall. Yuffie gave her a doubtful look.

**x:X:x**

Yuffie was exhausted. Tifa had given her an hour to adjust, and then barely held back. She had been working with the girl all day, and when she was finally confident that Yuffie couldn't move anymore, she called an end to the "lessons".

"She did really well." Tifa said quietly, leaning around the doorway to see Yuffie hunched over at the table, picking feebly at the dinner set in front of her. Vincent and Cloud were standing beside her, looking at the bruised and battered girl with a mixture of interest and pity.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Tifa changed the subject quickly, her gaze shifting to the two grim faced men standing beside her.

"We're more or less got a plan." Cloud said quietly.

"More or less?" Tifa asked doubtfully.

"We have an idea." Vincent said somewhat defensively.

Tifa crossed her arms, glancing between them.

"Okay, so we're going to try to follow one of them around." Cloud admitted. Tifa rolled her eyes.

"This is going to be a disaster. Why do they even want to kill you, Vincent?" She sighed and looked up at him.

He was surprised for a moment, no one had asked yet, and he hadn't really thought about it. "Yuffie would be better at explaining it…" He said quietly.

**x:X:x**

Just as Vincent was expecting, the red haired youth that had attacked them nearly a week before was still watching the front of the building they had escaped into. He seemed to think he was well hidden, crouched in the shadows behind a dumpster and a heap of cardboard boxes, casually smoking a cigarette and glancing every so often at the now bolted doors.

Vincent was sitting on the top of a nearby building, watching the man below and waiting. His partner seemed to be a little more tactful and intelligent, he would seat himself just inside the door of the building across the street from the lab. Vincent had been watching them for a couple of days, and had determined the red-haired man would be easier to follow, he was obviously younger and less experienced. And any minute now his shift was going to end and his partner would come to give him a break.

He watched for a few more minutes and the red-haired man stood up from his seat, talked into his cell phone for a moment, and started to walk away. Vincent watched until he rounded a corner, then jumped across the rooftop after him.

As he suspected, the man hadn't realized he was being followed. Either that or he was much smarter than Vincent anticipated. At any rate, he watched from the shadows of an alley beside a grocery store as the red-haired man slipped into the front doors of an expensive hotel.

This was where the trail ended, he couldn't enter the hotel without being discovered, so he decided to return to the lab to tell the others what he'd discovered.

**x:X:x**

"They knew exactly where we were! Elena came herself!" Yuffie cried angrily, punching the wall beside her. Tifa winced, her recent training had managed to leave a dent without the girl seeming to notice.

"How do you know it's Elena? It could be Rufus." Vincent said calmly. Yuffie shook her head.

"It could be both of them, but it doesn't really matter. You know who's after you, and where they're staying. We just need to figure out how to confront them." Cloud said, interrupting them.

"They're extremely confident, you should be careful. It would be a good idea to leave the city and see just who follows you." Tifa cut in, glancing around at the small group.

"That sounds wise, we could go into the city ruins and meet another team. If they go out separately and camp for a night, Elena and Rufus would have no idea they were with us. Then, if things get out of hand there are plenty of hiding places to make a safe escape." Vincent said.

"Wow, that doesn't sound risky or anything." Yuffie said sarcastically.

"Well, it's better than sitting here waiting to see if someone makes a move. They're trying to kill you anyway, we need to lure them out!" Tifa's eyes were bright and excited with the anticipation of a fight.

"Cloud, talk to Barret and see if he can get a team together that is ready for battle. We do not know how many people will follow us, so we need to be prepared." Vincent said across the table. Yuffie snickered.

"_Battle_, like it's a war over me." She giggled for a moment, then stopped when everyone gave her strange looks.

"Yuffie, that's pretty much what it is, and people are getting ready to fight for your life." Tifa said seriously before cracking a smile. "But you're right, battle does seem like such a strong word."

**x:X:x**

The plan they came up with was risky and perilous, and there was a good chance someone would get hurt. It was to be set into motion in two weeks, and Yuffie was bored as hell in the meantime. It meant that everyone was busy planning and checking their plans, and looking for ways for them to go wrong, and getting weapons and supplies together. The only person she had seen since Vincent rolled out of bed at seven in the morning was Lucrecia and Shelke. Neither of which were much fun to be around.

Shelke had volunteered to help out in case they needed more fighters, but Lucrecia had demanded she stay behind. Upon informing her once again that she was in fact 34 years old, Lucrecia just shook her head and said she couldn't handle it if she didn't come back. It was sweet for a moment, then irritating when Yuffie remembered how much the woman bothered her. Speaking of whom, Yuffie was bored to tears and had resorted to following the older woman around.

"So if this lab was shut down what do you still do here?" She asked curiously. Lucrecia didn't seem to mind the company, and smiled down at her.

"The lab doesn't belong to Grimoire's family or company anymore, but it's still operational. Shelke and I are actually employed by another, smaller company now. There used to be more scientists working here, but funding has been cut and I'm afraid our happy little lab here is going to shut down for good soon." She said sadly. Yuffie couldn't help but feel sorry for her, it was obvious this lab was all she really had. She and Shelke lived here, where would they go once it was shut down?

"What exactly do you do here?" Yuffie asked, leaning on a countertop to watch as Lucrecia started typing into the computer again.

"We used to study Grimoire's theories on mako. It's hard to get now, with all the laws against it. but we did a lot of research for a while. Most of the information on it has been lost over the years. We had a few samples of materia that we spent a great deal of time working with. Those were some interesting experiments." She leaned back and smiled to herself. Yuffie's interest was peaked, and she straightened up.

"You worked with materia?" She blurted out. Lucrecia turned to look at her.

"Yes, I'm afraid we don't have it anymore, but we still have all our notes and reports. Why? Are you curious about materia?" She asked.

Yuffie nodded and smiled, watching as Lucrecia beamed at her and hurried across the room to shuffle through a stack of books.

At least now she would have something to do.

_**End of Chapter Six**_

_Yes, I know Shelke is older in this story than in DoC, but Lucrecia and Yuffie are also having a conversation, making her 30 years younger than she should have been. And alive. _


	18. What Might Be

**Disclaimer: **See previous chapters for disclaimer.

**Note: **This is only incredibly late. And short. I just wanted to post something for this, and if I wait until it's longer it could be weeks… I'm sorry, I've had a lot of stuff going on! Thanks, everyone who's still sticking with this. Please review to let me know you're still reading!

**What It Brings**

_**Chapter Seven**_

Yuffie was nervous. She had tried to tell herself she wasn't, but she couldn't hide it any longer as she stared out the window and gnawed at her lip. Vincent glanced over every so often to look at her questioningly. He knew he wasn't going to be much help to her, he was terrified at what could happen in the next couple of hours.

"Are you alright?" He asked gently, glancing over at her again. She looked over, smiling sadly at him and curling into herself in the seat. She hugged her knees to her chest defensively and shrugged.

"I guess so…" She mumbled. Turning around in her seat, she eyed the carefully wrapped package. Before Vincent could protest, she'd leaned back and grabbed it, letting out a surprised huff at the weight.

"What _is_ this?" Yuffie asked curiously, ripping open the paper and unfolding the carefully folded fabric.

"Yuffie…" Vincent sighed. He glanced over at her disapprovingly, but didn't bother complaining further.

Yuffie let out a curse, and Vincent gave her a sharp look. "Did Barret give you this?" She asked in alarm, holding up an intricately designed revolver. It was nearly as heavy as Cerberus, though half the size, and Yuffie hefted it up with both hands to give Vincent an almost horrified look.

"No, actually, Lucrecia gave that to me." He said quietly, his voice barely above a mumble. Yuffie gave him a rather flat, unamused look.

"How sweet." She mumbled darkly. Vincent looked over at her in near horror, making Yuffie shout as the car started to drift into the ditch.

"Yuffie!" He growled in exasperation, staring ahead at the road. "It's not like that. That gun has belonged to my family for a long time." He said quietly, forcing himself not to snap at her.

Yuffie was quiet for a while, staring down and tracing her fingers over the designs in the cold metal.

"Yuffie." Vincent said softly, glancing over at her yet again and reaching over to brush his fingers over her arm. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Can you do me a favor?" He asked gently, brushing his hand through her hair. She gazed up at him happily.

"Lean down in your seat." He said carefully, glancing into the rear view mirror. Yuffie stared at him in surprise for a second before turning around to look.

"No! Don't look, Yuffie!" He would have smacked his forehead if he hadn't been focused on driving and keeping her calm.

"Are they following us?" Yuffie squeaked, slouching down in her seat and staring up at Vincent with fear in her eyes. He looked over at her, that familiar guilt boiling up in his chest when he saw the desperate look on her face.

"Well…" he breathed gently, fingers gripping the steering wheel roughly and eyes staring straight ahead at the dusty road. "That was the basic plan."

"Maybe it was, but I was really hoping it wasn't going to work this way…" Yuffie mumbled nervously, leaning forward to stare into the side mirror at the small silver car following them distantly along the badly treated road.

After a few more tense moments of driving, Yuffie glanced up to see the jagged edge of torn and weather-beaten metal arching up out of view. She leaned forward and pressed her face up to the window. The sun was just starting to sink in the sky, and the long shadows made the old, decrepit ruins of Midgar even more ominous. She felt a shiver run down her spine, even before Vincent screamed for her to get down.

With a terrified shriek Yuffie threw herself back in the seat and drew her arms up to cover her head. The sound of gunshots filled her ears and she clenched her eyes shut in fear as Vincent's jumbled voice shouted commands that she couldn't understand in the chaos.

_He smiled down at her, his hand drifting over to brush a lock of hair from her face as he murmured her name lovingly. She reached up and he braced a hand against her back as she kissed him, lingering for a moment and kissing him with parted lips again. She made a small noise and he pulled her closer, his fingers playing over the fabric of her shirt. He tasted sweet and refreshing, and she leaned back and smiled up at him with the sun shining on her face and warming her skin. _

"_I love you so much…" She breathed a blissful sigh and fell back against the soft blanket. _

_He fell down beside her and turned on his side to gaze over her as she stared up at the sunlight shining through the bright green leaves of the tree. _

"_I love you too, Yuffie… More than anything." _

_He kissed her again and she ran her hands through his hair, pulling it back so she could look into his soft, crimson eyes. He broke eye contact to trail his gaze down over her smooth jaw, his fingertips tracing the path down her neck to the gentle rise of her breasts. He lingered there for a moment before his hand dipped down further and rested on the gentle bulge of her stomach. She couldn't help but smile and blush as he leaned down to press his ear against her tummy. He smiled happily and she wound her arms around his neck. _

"Yuffie give me the gun!!" Vincent bellowed, turning the wheel sharply and sending Yuffie tumbling painfully against the car door. She hit her head hard, and her hands were shaking so badly she nearly dropped the heavy gun again as she fumbled to pick it up off the floor and toss it to him.

He snatched it away from her just as the car skidded to a stop at the base of an old concrete building, and broke out the window as he fired several shots at the car closing in on them.

"Go!" He shouted, reaching behind him to grab more ammo. Yuffie didn't move, and he shoved her backpack into her arms. "Yuffie, GO!!" He yelled it in her face and leaned across her to throw her door open and shove her out onto the ground.

She didn't waste time once she hit the dirt, and scrambled on her hands and knees to the base of the nearest building. There was a gaping hole where a window used to be and she slipped inside and fell several feet to the floor. She heard the loud screech of brakes and cried out in horror as a loud crash sounded and a scattered rain of broken glass fell through the window.

There were more gunshots and angry shouting, and she knew Vincent had gotten out of the car. The sounds grew fainter and Yuffie realized she was crying. She scrambled forward and crawled through a small passageway to a crack in the cement behind it. Pushing her backpack out, she pulled herself up onto a slab of concrete and twisted metal. Her heart was pounding violently in her ears, and she crept along the crumbling wall to try and catch of glimpse of what might be going on. She couldn't see anything from her hiding place, so she curled into herself and buried her face in her knees to try and think.

Okay, so things had spiraled completely out of control. They'd barely made it into the city, where were the others? They should have been watching to make sure something like this didn't happen! She had to help Vincent; she didn't know how many people Elena might have found that could have a disgusting amount of money waiting for them back in Nibelheim if they just kill him.

Well, he made sure she had her pack, it would be stupid not to go through it. She flipped it over and pulled the giant shuriken out from between the straps. It was wrapped in cloth, which she quickly undid. The polished metal shone grimly in the afternoon sunlight, and she set it aside with the aching hope that she wouldn't have to use it. There were some basic supplies inside the bag, food, water, strips of cloth, several leather pouches of traditional shuriken, but what really caught her eye was the bundled up white cloth resting in the bottom on the bag. Her hand darted down into the bag almost before she thought about it, and her finger wrapped around the object tightly as she brought it up. Unwrapping the cloth with slightly trembling hands, Yuffie found herself lost in the beautiful green glow of the orb for several long moments. She'd forgotten she had even put it in her bag.

More gunshots echoed off the broken concrete and metal, and she tightened her grip on the materia as if she thought she could break it. Her teeth clenched in frustration and she threw it angrily back in her bag.

_As if something so silly as materia could help in the real world! This isn't a fucking fairytale!_

Tears stung her eyes and she scrambled down the sloped edge of a wall and scooted up under in to hide. She tossed the bag down beside her and let out a strangled sob. What was she supposed to do now? How could she possibly be of any real help? Vincent was in serious trouble and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it!

She clamped her hands down over her ears and tried to think of something.

_Bright green grass stretched as far as the eye could see in any direction. Rolling hills extending out even to the ocean from the mountains, hardly a tree in sight. The sun was shining brightly and a cool breeze sang across the empty fields. She let her fingers run over the grass, feeling how soft and thick it was before letting herself fall down into it with a peaceful smile. She stayed there for a long time, cradled in the soft grass and warmed by the sun, resting happily with her eyes closed. It was bliss, there was nothing in the world but this place and this one day. _

_Gentle fingers wound through her hair and she slowly opened her eyes and looked up with a smile. Vincent leaned over to kiss her forehead, and she sighed contentedly at how unbelievably perfect it was. An excited squeal echoed across the grassland to them, and Yuffie sat up in slight alarm to see a small group of chocobos not far away. A small boy was running towards them now, turning every once in a while to look back at the giant birds in excitement. As he got closer Yuffie could see the excitement shining in his bright crimson eyes, and she laughed along with Vincent as he begged for more greens. _

Yuffie opened her eyes in horror, tears rolling heavily down her cheeks as she desperately tried to wipe away the thoughts lingering in her head. Her future with Vincent, things that would most likely never get a chance to come true. Things she wanted so much and would never get…

She shook her head, nearly vomiting at the thought of letting Vincent die out there. Not alone, at least. She threw open her bag again and pulled out her supplies. She grabbed several pouches of shuriken and tied them to her belt. She took the giant shuriken and was just about to crawl out of her hiding place when something hit her knee. She looked down curiously and noticed the shining green materia orb, resting sadly among the dusty bits of cement. She picked it up and had the violent urge to throw it, thought better of it, and tucked it gently into one of her shuriken pouches. Tossing her backpack out into the open where she might find it again, Yuffie set out to find Vincent.

**End of Chapter Seven**


	19. Almost

**Disclaimer: **See previous chapters for disclaimer.

**Note: **Yes, it took me forever to write this chapter. I didn't want it to be total crap… It may be cliché, but it's a hell of a lot better than all the other ideas I had for this chapter! I don't write action, so I'm sorry if this chapter is horrible... The Epilogue should be up soon.

**What It Brings**

_**Chapter Eight**_

Yuffie could see a plume of smoke rising up from out of sight across the ruins of Midgar. Every few moments the sound of gunshots would ring out and echo off the mountains of debris. It was unnerving, but she was beginning to get used to it. Tightening her grip on the giant shuriken, she slid down the heap of concrete and rusted metal and leap from the smashed edge of a wall. She landed gracefully on the cracked dirt path that served as a road through this hell-hole. She glanced back and could see the side of Vincent's car smashed against the building behind her. She turned back to the plume of smoke and started running.

She hadn't gotten far when the roar of a motorcycle reached her ears and she turned to see Cloud rush up behind her. Dirt flew up in around her and rained down on a sheet of metal across from her as he skidded to a stop.

"Yuffie, wait here! Tifa and Barret are on their way." His voice was stern and she nearly jumped as the engine revved right beside her. Her hand darted out and she grabbed his arm tightly.

"No! I want to help! I'm not just gonna sit here and wait for everyone to clean up my mess!" She shouted angrily. Cloud glared sharply at her and she noticed his arm flinch under her grip.

"Go back to town and wait for us. This isn't a game, these people want to kill you!" He growled harshly. He moved to shake free of her grasp but her tightened her hold on his arm.

"I don't care! I'm not just going to wait around and let my husband die! I'm going after them whether you help me or not!" She shrieked, motioning toward the smoke rising in the distance. Cloud stared coldly at her for a moment before letting his gaze drop.

Yuffie jumped on behind him and wrapped her arm around his waist as he shook his head and hoped he wouldn't regret this later. She nearly lost her grip and fell off as the bike took off like a bullet, and she hid her face behind Cloud's shoulder as dust flew up around them.

It was a short ride, and her eyes widened as they rushed past the wreckage of the car her assailants had been driving. Coming around a bend, she could see a man standing in the road whip around to look at them. Another man stood further down and she could hear the red-haired man shout to his partner in warning.

Her body seemed to move all on its own. Cloud glanced back in surprise as he felt her knees bump against his back as she crouched and leapt into the air. All three men seemed to pause and stare at her in surprise as she flew through the air. She brought her Shuriken up behind her as she twisted and hit the red-haired man in the chest with both feet. He cried out in pain and he was thrown backward into a low wall. He hit it painfully and Yuffie rolled to a stop several meters behind him. Her footing slipped and she fell on her side in the dirt, cringing slightly as her heart pounded loudly in her ears. She didn't even care where the hell she had learned half of the things she'd been doing lately. She was still catching her breath when she heard Cloud shout at her as the man brought his gun up and aimed it at her. Her eyes widened and she was just about to let out a curse as an enormous sword stuck into the ground in front of her face. She heard a bullet ricochet off of it and turned to see Cloud's motorcycle on its side in the ditch. She stared over at him in shock as she saw him using another sword to block the rain of bullets directed at him as he rushed toward the darker man. Just as he reached him the man pulled what looked like a nightstick out of his belt and used it to knock Cloud's sword to the side. He caught him in the shoulder and she heard the blonde man cry out in pain as he spun around and swung at him again. He jumped back and glanced over toward Yuffie. Behind his sunglasses she could see the surprise on his face and he leapt back several more paces.

"Reno! Look out!" He shouted.

Yuffie spun around just in time to see the red-haired man scrambled to the side as Vincent lunged at him. He paused for a moment, unsure whether to attack again or grab Yuffie, then finally spun around and hauled Yuffie to her feet.

"Why didn't you stay hidden?!" He shouted angrily at her, pulling her along behind a pile of twisted metal as Reno regained himself and opened fire at them. Yuffie glared at him defiantly. She was just about to protest when another gunshot rang out overhead and Vincent cried out in pain. He wrapped an arm around her and took off running, nearly dragging her along as bits of metal and concrete flew up around them. She turned just in time to catch a glimpse of a dark-haired man with a bandaged nose standing on a ledge above them. Vincent pulled her down a slope and wound around the backside of an old building before dragging her down a ditch between heaps of debris.

Looking up at him, Yuffie's eyes widened in horror as she realized his left side was covered in blood. It was running down his hip and falling in a steady stream to the dirt below, leaving a trail through the ruins behind them.

"Oh my god, Vincent!" Yuffie shrieked, pulling on his arm to try and stop him. He paused to bend down and throw her over his shoulder instead and kept running. She struggled violently against him, trying to get him to stop and let her see his wound. He ignored her and ducked down behind another wall, sliding down a concrete slope before finally collapsing. Yuffie rolled to her feet and jumped on him, pulling up his shirt to see the bullet wound in his side. His shirt was soaked in blood and he hissed at her to run as enthusiastic shouting could be heard behind them.

"Oh isn't that so sad?"

Yuffie spun and leapt to her feet, her hands tightening into fists at her side. Elena smiled sweetly at her from several feet away, tapping her gun playfully against her thigh. She brought it up slowly to point at Yuffie's face, and looked past her as two men slid down behind Vincent.

"Nice shot, Tseng. That looks fatal." She grinned at Yuffie and she felt like she might just vomit on the blonde girl. "Where's Rude?" She asked curiously.

Reno shrugged. "He ran into some trouble, looks like they called in reinforcements."

"Hm, I guess we'd better make this quick." She considered Yuffie for a moment, then lowered her gun slightly. "Not too quick, of course." Yuffie could see the hatred on her face as her finger tightened on the trigger.

Her gun hit the dirt with a dull thud as Elena's pained shrieks filled the air. Yuffie stared in surprise at her giant shuriken lodged firmly in the other girl's palm. It stuck out the back of her hand several inches and blood dripped down onto the ground as she wrapped her other hand around it in horror.

Yuffie turned around just in time to see Cloud, Tifa, and Barret come leaping down in slope behind them. She heard her shuriken clink against a pile of concrete blocks as everyone began shouting at once. Yuffie turned to see Elena crouched on the ground with her gun in her good hand, raising it just as Vincent managed to get to his feet. She fired off one shot then took off running. Reno and Tseng took off after her in confusion as Cloud, Tifa, and Barret chased after them enthusiastically.

Yuffie's legs were shaking so bad she almost didn't make it to Vincent's side. He was soaked in blood now and one hand was clutched to his chest in pain. She placed her hands over his and tried to stop shaking. She didn't want to look at it. She knew it was bad. He wasn't breathing right, it seemed like he just couldn't get any air. He gasped slightly and Yuffie's vision blurred as tears started running down her face. She felt his hand wind through her hair and his thumb pressed gently against the side of her face.

"Oh god, Vincent, please don't die…" She choked back a violent sob and leaned over to kiss him.

She could still hear the gunshots off in the distance as his grip loosened and his eyes slid closed. She kept clinging to him even as he gave up gasping for breath and his hand fell limply at her side. She kept kissing his cheek and squeezing his hand. Any moment now he was going to wake up and smile at her. She kept waiting for him to open his eyes, and each moment he didn't she felt the darkness creep in a little further. She pulled his hand up and kissed it, resting it against her cheek for a moment as tears streamed down and fell heavily in the dirt. Then it was finally too much and she felt herself screaming. She dug her fingers into his blood-soaked shirt and screamed as hard as she could.

She screamed and screamed until she felt something heavy hit her in the chest and knock the wind out of her. Her pocket felt warm, and she dug her fingers into and fumbled slightly with the now-glowing green orb. Her lips parted in confusion just as the glow intensified and she felt like the life was sucked right out of her body. She fell backward in a heap and the orb rolled from her fingertips.

She stared up at the sky for several moments before she became aware of movement nearby. She sat up cautiously on trembling limbs to stare at Vincent's body. She was sure she had snapped as she watched his fingertips dig into the dirt for a brief moment. Then he sat up.

Yuffie stared at him with wide eyes as he looked around in confusion. He seemed extremely disoriented and his eyes wandered awkwardly before finally resting on her face.

"Yuffie?" His voice shook slightly as he tried to get his eyes to focus.

She couldn't move for a long time, they just sat there staring at each other for several long minutes. She couldn't believe what was happening. She was sure she must have gone insane. The pain of losing him had been so much she just snapped. The others would come back and see her acting like Vincent was walking around and talking to her. She wanted to pinch herself and make sure she hadn't just passed out, or that all of this hadn't just been a dream, but when she tried to move her arms felt too heavy and weak.

Finally, Vincent looked down and brought a hand up to his grasp at his chest.

"I… I thought you were dead…" Yuffie whimpered in shock as tears started rolling down her face again. Then she launched herself at him and hugged him until he gasped for breath.

"Yuffie… I think I was... What did you do?" He asked shakily. He pulled her shoulders back to look into her face.

"What do you mean?"

They were interrupted as Tifa came scrambling over a heap of debris. She stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of them, and Cloud and Barret came up behind her. She stared at them in surprise until Cloud stepped forward and leaned down in front of Vincent.

"You're alright?" Tifa asked in confusion.

"What..?" Vincent glanced from her to Cloud as the blond man reached out and touched his chest, looking for the bullet wound that should have been there.

"We all saw you get shot in the chest!" Tifa cried out, rushing forward and leaning over him. Vincent touched his chest carefully for a moment, then shrugged. "We could hear Yuffie screaming... I was sure you were..." She put a hand to her head.

"I guess she missed…" He said softly.

Yuffie took the opportunity to reach over and slip the green materia back into her bag.

"What happened to Elena?" Yuffie asked quickly, changing the subject. Tifa smiled grimly.

"She.. um… got caught up in the crossfire." Tifa said quietly. "We really did try to help her, but, well…" She cleared her throat uncomfortably and looked over to Cloud.

"What about..?" Yuffie trailed off worriedly.

"Her hired muscle took off when they saw their meal ticket hit the dirt." Barret grinned and Tifa punched him in the shoulder.

Yuffie smiled to herself and took a deep breath as she hugged Vincent. He brushed his fingers through her hair and helped her to her feet.

"Let's get the hell out of here, I think I'm about ready to be sick.." Yuffie mumbled darkly as she limped back toward the road.

**End of Chapter Eight**


	20. Bonus Chapter

**Disclaimer: **See previous chapters for disclaimer.

**Note: **Bonus chapter! Yay!

**What It Brings**

_**Chapter Nine**_

The house was eerily quiet when they finally made it home that night. It was dark and cold from being empty for so long, and Yuffie couldn't repress the shudder that ran down her spine. It definitely wasn't inviting, but it was home. And it was a hell of a lot better than that damn lab…

She dropped her backpack on the floor as she heard the door close behind her. She could feel his eyes on her, but didn't dare turn to look at him. She had no idea what to tell him, she still wasn't sure she hadn't just gone crazy. What if she turned around and he wasn't there? What if she'd just gotten home from attending his funeral? The image of his peaceful face was still fresh in her memory. She could still hear him struggling to draw air into his punctured lung. She even felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up when his hand fell limply at her side. It felt like something was squeezing her heart in its icy grasp, and she inhaled sharply as her eyes started to sting.

Neither of them moved for a long time. Vincent stood just inside the doorway watching her, and Yuffie wound her arms around herself defensively. It had been a long, terrifyingly stressful day, and she just wanted it to be over. She just wanted to crawl in bed and pretend like she had dreamed all of this up. None of it had ever happened, and it would fade in the morning as a distant memory of a nightmare.

Without saying a word, Yuffie turned and walked slowly up the stairs to the bedroom. She kicked off her shoes and curled up in a fetal position on her side of the bed, closing her eyes and trying to ignore the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs behind her. The opposite edge of the bed dipped down and she knew Vincent was sitting there, probably wondering what he should do. She could heard clothes rustling for a moment, then if was quiet again.

Dim light was shining in through the window at the far end of the room. The sun was finally setting, and long orange shadows stretched across the room to curl around her. She stared out at the clouds scattered across the sky, and for the first time since leaving Nibelheim, Yuffie felt like a child. She wasn't old enough for any of this. She wasn't old enough to live so far from home, she wasn't old enough to be married to the man sitting beside her. She wasn't old enough to have enemies willing to track her across the world, and she wasn't old enough to be a widow. All at once, reality hit Yuffie in the face like a ton of bricks. This wasn't some dream, it was really happening. When her life was no longer in danger, she wasn't just going to go home. She couldn't, she'd messed things up too much. Now going home would mean living a life of secrecy. If Vincent could even get a job with the reputation she'd given him, it wouldn't be a good one. They would live in the slums, which was fine considering it was probably the only place in town where no one would care how old she was. Her shoulders began to tremble and tears welled up in her eyes. It was too much. She was so sure she was ready for this life, but now that it was happening she couldn't believe she had thought it could work.

She jumped slightly when Vincent reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. He hesitated for a moment to see if she was going to get upset at him, and when she didn't crawl away he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her over into his lap. She curled up against his chest and held her breath. Tears fell gently down her cheeks, and she brushed her fingers over the bare skin of his chest. There was a rather impressive scar where a bullet wound had been earlier that day. It was somewhat bruised, and as she calmed down a bit more she tapped it curiously. Then she leaned forward and kissed it before looking up and forcing a smile.

"Whenever I got hurt when I was little, my mom would always kiss it all better…" She said quietly. Vincent stared at her in surprise for a moment, then his gaze softened and he smiled.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" She asked softly. Her eyes fell down to stare at the floor when she saw the shocked look on Vincent's face.

"Why would I be mad at you?" He asked in confusion. Yuffie leaned her head against his chest carefully.

"Because you keep getting shot because of me…" She mumbled sadly.

His back stiffened for a moment in surprise, then as realization hit a deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. He brushed his fingers through her hair gently and kissed the top of her head.

"Of course I'm not mad. I knew you were going to be a lot of trouble before I even married you." He said simply. Yuffie blushed lightly and wound her arms around him affectionately.

They were quiet for a long time, then Yuffie cleared her throat quietly.

"So, um… Do you think it's safe to go back to Nibelheim..?" She asked softly. Vincent leaned his head back and sighed.

"I'm not sure, but it probably would be if we wanted to." He replied. She looked up into his soft, scarlet eyes and he smiled sadly.

"Why? Did you want to go back?" He asked gently. Yuffie stared up at him for a moment, then shook her head and hugged him.

He ran his fingers down her back gently and kissed the top of her head. When his fingertips brushed over her lower back, she squirmed away from his touch and mumbled a complaint into his chest. He paused for a moment before brushing his fingers over her back again, and she wiggled out of his grip with a small smile and a groan of disapproval. She tried to climb off the bed but he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back down, holding her still with one arm and running his fingertips along her hip. She shrieked and tried to fight her way out of his grip, but he tightened his arm around her and she clawed at it desperately.

"Stop! Please! Oh my god you're horrible!" She shouted before she was too busy giggling and gasping for air to complain anymore.

He paused for a moment to let her breath, his eyes widening in surprise as she twisted around in his grip. She braced one hand against his chest and wrapped the other around the back of his neck, kissing him gently. His hands slid down to her hips and Yuffie felt herself blush lightly. Up until now, she had hardly thought about it, but it really had been a while…

He watched with wide, enthusiastic eyes as she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. Her blush darkened and this time he noticed, smiling up at her before pushing her to the side and rolling them over. He kissed her neck lovingly and she smiled as she wound her arms around his waist.

**x:X:x**

Yuffie's eyes slid open and she gazed up at the brightly lit ceiling. Stretching slowly, she sat up and looked out at the bright blue sky outside. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept so well…

Glancing down, she realized Vincent was still fast asleep. Smiling, Yuffie reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. He sighed gently and rolled onto his side. He looked so peaceful, Yuffie couldn't bring herself to wake him up. She kissed him on the cheek and slid out of bed. She dug around for a change of clothes before sneaking out the door.

She knew it wasn't exactly early, the streets were already full of people as she walked into the heart of town. She was surprised she'd slept in for so long, but she _had_ stayed up rather late last night after a day full of excitement. She smiled to herself and looked around. Pausing down the street, she noticed the shop she was looking for and hurried inside. Two hours later she took a seat at the end of the bar and smiled a warm hello to Tifa.

"Wow, you look great! What happened with you guys last night?" Tifa asked slyly, giving her a playful wink. She leaned over on her elbows curiously when Yuffie didn't pout at her comment.

"Hey, what's that?" She asked, watching as Yuffie flipped through the heavy book she'd set on the countertop.

"It's a history book." Yuffie said, finally tearing her eyes off the page and smiling up at the older woman. Tifa wrinkled her nose slightly.

"A history book? What for?" She asked. Yuffie giggled at the look on her face and pointed at the picture.

"I wanted to learn more about materia." She said simply. Tifa leaned over and looked at the little chart with different colored orbs on it. She grinned and shook her head.

"Why? I thought it didn't exist anymore."

Yuffie stared up at her for a moment. "It's just really rare. You know, collector's items and museum pieces and stuff." She replied. Tifa eyed her suspiciously.

"Okay, prove it."

Yuffie reached in her pocket and pulled out a blue orb. Tifa's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh my god! Is that real?" Her brow furrowed and she reached out gently as Yuffie handed it to her. The sensation nearly made her drop it, and she quickly handed it back and shook her head.

"Oh that's creepy… It almost feels like it has a pulse…" Tifa glanced around to make sure no one saw it and leaned in closer to Yuffie.

"Where the hell did you even get it?!" She asked in a hushed tone. Yuffie smiled.

"Vincent gave it to me. I have more, too." She said in excitement. Tifa stared at her with wide eyes and huffed.

"What does it even do?" She asked curiously. Yuffie shrugged.

"I don't know, that's why I'm researching it. But supposedly, there was materia that could give you control over certain elements. I heard there were even some that could bring people back from the _dead_." Yuffie whispered dramatically. Tifa grinned and shook her head.

"Yuffie, that's silly." She laughed.

Yuffie shrugged and started reading again as Tifa walked away to talk to the men that just sat down.

"Materia, huh?" A voice boomed in her ear and Yuffie nearly shrieked in surprise. Spinning around, she stared up at the man towering over her.

"Cloud! Don't do that!" She glared darkly at him but he waved it off and sat down.

"I have some. I don't know what kind it is though." He said quietly. Yuffie's expression went from angry to shocked.

"Wait, you have materia?" She asked curiously. Cloud nodded.

"Yea, Barret found it in the old ruins and gave it to me. Neither of us realized what it was at the time, but well… There's not much use for it, unless you're willing to go all the way to Junon to sell it. A lot of people just think it's flat out creepy." He said, glancing down at her. He took the book and looked at the chart for a moment before setting it back down and pointing at one.

"There, that's the one I have."

Yuffie leaned over to examine the picture. It was a deep red orb, but the caption said 'unknown'.

"Why do people think it's creepy?" Yuffie asked quietly. Cloud brushed a hand through his hair and shrugged.

"Well, supposedly materia comes from the Lifestream. Some people think that means the orbs have spirits in them from people that have been dead for a long time." He said simply.

"Cloud! I had no idea you were coming by today!"

They looked up to see Tifa beaming down at them. She smiled as she set a drink down in front of Cloud. He accepted it and returned her smile, putting the glass to his lips as she turned her attention on Yuffie.

"Are you trying to convince Cloud you have materia, too?" She asked playfully. Yuffie glanced over at the blond man and he shrugged. "Did you show him the one you have?" She added curiously.

Yuffie dug in her pocket for a moment before pulling it out and handing it to him. He examined it carefully, turning it back and forth before holding it out slightly and letting the light shine on it.

"That feels so weird, doesn't it?" Tifa grinned, but Cloud didn't seem to hear her.

"Hm." He turned it again and then tapped it on the shot glass in front of him.

Both girls stared in shock as it glowed gently and several tendrils of blue light darted out and swirled around the glass before dissipating into the air. Cloud seemed unfazed, but held the frost-covered glass up to the light curiously.

"Well look at that." He mumbled softly. Tifa murmured a surprised curse and Yuffie giggled in excitement.

"How'd you do that?!" She bounced in her seat and Tifa grinned, shaking her head.

He handed it back to Yuffie, and she toyed with it for a moment.

"Show me how to make it work, Cloud! Please?" She asked him, holding it out in front of her carefully. Cloud grinned.

"It's easy, figure it out." He said flatly before taking a drink from the frozen glass and cringing.

"That is some severely cold rum." He stared at it before setting it down. Tifa examined the glass for a moment before giggling.

"Just be careful not to break the glass…" She said in amusement.

The door opened and Tifa giggled lightly in Yuffie's ear. She looked up to see Vincent walking toward her, the red cloak she'd given him drifting out behind him casually as the other men in the bar stared at him. Yuffie couldn't hide the pleased smile as he took the seat next to her, nodding a greeting to Cloud and putting a hand on her back affectionately.

"Good morning, Vincent." Tifa smiled over at him. "Did you want anything to drink?"

He glanced up at her with sharp red eyes. He nodded and Tifa grinned, turning back to find something for him.

"Cloud, did you need another one?" She asked as she set a glass on the table and filled it with a light red liquid. Yuffie stared at it in amusement as Vincent picked it up.

Cloud sighed and held up the glass, a bit of frost still clinging to the side of it.

"So it's going to be one of those days?" He asked, glancing around the group. Tifa pouted.

"Well I figured after yesterday we deserve it!"

Cloud closed his eyes for a moment, then set the glass back down.

"Alright, I guess I don't have anywhere I need to be." He said softly. The corner of his mouth turned up and Tifa scowled at him playfully.

"Hey Yuffie, you want somethin' too?" She asked before switching bottles to refill Cloud's glass. Yuffie nodded without looking up from her book, and Vincent leaned over to see what she was looking at.

"Materia?" He asked quietly. She looked up at him as he stared down at the page in concentration. He finally glanced up at her and the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile. He leaned down and swallowed the contents of the shot glass.

Tifa set a glass down in front of Yuffie and her eyes brightened. Reaching in her pocket, she pulled the blue materia back out and looked at it carefully. Cloud glanced over in amusement and finished his own glass before crossing his arms.

Vincent watched with interest as she held it up against the glass. She bit her lip and focused on the orb, trying to force it to glow and freeze the glass. Her grip tightened on it and she cringed before sighing and letting her shoulders drop. She looked up at Vincent sadly.

"I can't do it, but Cloud can make it work…" She mumbled. Vincent stared at her in slight confusion.

"Just practice, maybe you're trying too hard." Cloud chuckled and Yuffie looked up at him when he took the materia and held it for a moment.

It started to glow and he tapped it on the glass. Once more, blue tendrils snaked around the rim of the glass before cascading down the sides and fanning out across the counter. It vanished like smoke and Yuffie pouted down at it. Vincent had a look of amusement on his face when she glanced up at him.

"See? That was even better than last time he tried it…" She mumbled darkly. Vincent smiled and patted her on the shoulder.

"You'll get the hang of it, Yuffie." Tifa said reassuringly.

Yuffie nodded absently and sipped at the now frozen glass. She started flipping through the pages of the book again as Tifa leaned over the counter and started talking to Cloud. After a few minutes Vincent leaned over and kissed her cheek lightly.

"Yuffie, let's go for a walk." He whispered in her ear.

She nodded and tore herself away from the book. Closing it gently, she hopped off her chair and followed Vincent out the door. Yuffie paused for a moment to turn back and let Tifa know they'd be back, but she stopped when she realized how close she was leaning to Cloud. There was a shy smile on her face, and she could have sworn Cloud was smiling too. Vincent waited for her at the door, then held it open and nearly pulled her outside.

"They're totally flirting." Yuffie stared up at Vincent and he forced himself not to roll his eyes in amusement.

"Yes, they were." He said softly. Yuffie smiled to herself and tucked her book under her arm. She hummed to herself happily and leaned her head on his arm for a moment.

He paused to turn and wrap his arms around her. She beamed up at him and dug her fingers into his shirt.

"You're really happy here?" He asked seriously. Yuffie nodded slowly.

"Yea, actually, I love it here…" She said softly. Vincent seemed uncertain, and she tilted her head to the side as she stared up at him.

"Why? Do you hate it here?" She asked worriedly.

"No… It's definitely a change, though." He glanced around for a moment before looking back down at her and smiling rather sadly.

"You're sure there's no where else you'd rather go?" He asked slowly. Yuffie gave him an odd look.

"Why?" She asked suspiciously. Vincent leaned back and dropped his gaze, sighing heavily.

"It just seems like such a harsh place for you…" He said gently. Yuffie's eyes widened in surprise, then she grinned.

"I'm not a doll, Vincent. I guess I'll just have to adjust." She slid from his grip and started walking down the street again. She grinned and glanced back to see the amused look on his face. She waited for him to catch up, then grinned mischievously.

"Do you think Cloud and Tifa are done makin' out yet?" She asked curiously. Vincent couldn't help but smile.

"I don't know, let's go find out." He replied, taking her hand and leading her back down the street to Tifa's bar.

_**End of Chapter Nine**_


	21. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **FFVII belongs to Square-Enix.

**Note: **Finally got around to finishing this story… huh… It's not really what I'd been hoping for, but I suppose it works. I might rewrite some of it later so it's not so rough.

**What it Brings**

_**Epilogue**_

Yuffie smiled to herself, feeling the tiny movements under her hand. She let out a giggle when a foot pressed against her palm, and looked up to see Tifa smiling proudly.

"Can you believe it's already been seven months?" Tifa asked in awe, holding her hands against her stomach as Yuffie stepped back to give her some room. She sighed happily and took the shopping bags Yuffie offered back to her.

"I can't believe you and Cloud got yourselves into that mess." Yuffie joked, holding up a tiny pink sweatshirt. "Can't you see Cloud wrestling a tiny blonde baby girl into this?" Both women burst out laughing, and several people gave them odd looks as they passed.

She watched the people, most of them not even noticing her, and couldn't help but feel a certain happiness. Just a couple of years ago she felt like she stuck out of a crowd like a chocobo in a flock of chickens. Now she felt as invisible as the next person, and couldn't hardly believe she'd actually grown up in such a boring place as Nibelheim. Yuffie let out a sigh at the thought of the city where her father still lived. She hadn't spoken to him in so long, she couldn't help but wonder how he was doing.

Shifting awkwardly, Yuffie held a hand up to block the sun from her eyes. It was just past noon, and she'd been shopping all morning with Tifa to get ready for the baby due in two months. Everyone was still trying to convince the woman to stop running the bar and get more rest, but she refused. It just wasn't in her nature to sit still and wait for something to happen. Yuffie always suspected she just didn't trust Cloud enough to take care of her, though. Apparently he had a history of just disappearing for extended periods of time.

"Oh! I see them!" Tifa said excitedly, pointing through the crowd. She let out a giggle, and Yuffie joined her when she finally spotted them.

Vincent walked along purposefully, Cerberus still slung over one shoulder of his crimson cloak. His golden claw reflected the sunlight as he walked, and his cloak swirled around his boots. His hair had grown out a lot over their time in Midgar. Yuffie had been surprised the first time she noticed he needed a haircut. He'd almost seemed offended, and that was that. He just never got it cut, and now it flowed down over his shoulders in a cascade of ebony, held out of his eyes with a red bandana Yuffie had put on him once as a joke. Needless to say he looked nothing short of terrifying, and even without Cloud at his side people moved out of his way wherever he went.

Yuffie loved it. She loved every minute she was with him. People gave him frightened looks and stared at Yuffie like she was insane to trust such a dangerous looking man. One of her favorite things about being his wife was when she got to introduce him to someone and see the look on their face. He had changed so dramatically since moving here, she really had to wonder what the hell he had ever been doing working with his father's company. It hadn't been very long ago, but she found it hard to imagine him wearing a suit now. She would say it was like he was a new person, but he was the same man she'd fallen for in the beginning. He just seemed genuinely happy now.

"Yuffie." He greeted her with the smallest indication of a smile, reaching out to pull her close and give her a gentle kiss.

"Are you ready?" He asked softly. Yuffie wrinkled her nose slightly and sighed, shifting her weight to the side self-consciously and lowering her eyes to stare at the ground.

"Yea I guess so…" She mumbled darkly. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head, pulling her back down the road as Cloud escorted Tifa back to the bar.

Yuffie watched nervously as Cloud land Vincent wandered into another room, leaving her alone with Tifa in the eerily quiet bar. She smiled warmly at the younger woman as she pulled out several bottles and set them on the counter. After a few more moments she set some glasses down and took a seat.

"You don't look too happy, what's up?" She asked curiously. Yuffie sighed heavily and leaned over the counter.

"I feel so old… I liked being a kid, I don't wanna grow up…" She mumbled sadly. Tifa rested a hand on her back and thought for a moment.

"No offense, but I can't see you ever really growing up." Tifa said with a smile. Yuffie didn't seem comforted, so she tried to continue.

"Well, I'm not old yet! Just because you're an adult now doesn't mean you're not a kid anymore…" She tried to sound cheerful, wasn't sure what Yuffie wanted to hear.

She reached over and picked up a bottle, handing it to the girl to try and distract her.

"Here, I got this for you. It was expensive, so you'd better enjoy it!" She said playfully, handing her a glass.

Yuffie turned the bottle over in her hand and snorted in amusement.

"I didn't know they even made root beer schnapps…" She said absently, twisting the cap off and sniffing the contents of the bottle. Tifa shrugged and gave her a small smile.

"It seemed like something you might like." She said softly, glancing up as the door opened and Marlene came running in.

"Tifa!" She shouted, hugging the woman happily before turning to jump on Yuffie.

"Happy birthday!" She said sweetly. She pulled a folded up piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Yuffie.

"I didn't have enough money to buy you something…" She said sadly. Yuffie unfolded the paper and smiled.

"Aw, thanks, Marlene! I wish I could draw…" Yuffie held it out to show Tifa, and Marlene blushed.

"You like it?" She asked carefully. Yuffie hugged her again and nodded.

"It's wonderful!" She replied.

"Good, she's been working on it for days!"

Tifa and Yuffie jumped when the voice boomed overhead, and looked up to see Barret leaning over them with a grin.

"Geez! I almost died!" Yuffie cried out. Barret laughed for a moment til Tifa punched him in the arm.

"Be nice, it's her birthday." She said sharply. Barret glared at her as he wandered across the room to turn the TV on, and Tifa went behind the counter to find something Marlene could drink.

Yuffie jumped again and sighed loudly when Vincent appeared next to her. He didn't seem to notice and picked up the bottle of schnapps Tifa had given her.

"Root beer?" He asked uncertainly, giving her an odd glance as she shrugged and took it from him. She poured a glass and Vincent took a sip.

"Why not just mix rum with root beer?" He asked, setting the glass back down and scooting it over next to Yuffie. She rolled her eyes and picked it up, taking a sip and savoring the taste.

"Did you invite anyone else?" Yuffie asked cautiously. Tifa glanced over and smiled.

"_I _didn't." She said innocently. Yuffie eyed her suspiciously and glanced around the room, as if expecting to see someone hiding nearby.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yuffie sighed and let her head fall against the counter. Vincent stared at Tifa questioningly, and she smiled as she turned and walked toward the backroom slowly.

She came back a few minutes later, and Vincent watched as Cloud walked casually out the door.

"So what are you drinking tonight, Vincent?" Tifa asked quickly. He glanced back at the door for a moment before deciding to ignore it.

"Surprise me." He said quietly, putting an arm around Yuffie as she took another sip from her glass.

By the time Cloud got back, the party was a bit more lively. Marlene had gone upstairs to bed and the TV sat unattended after Barret decided to join everyone else sitting at the bar. Tifa smiled happily as she watched her friends, finally loosening up after a couple of drinks.

Yuffie was giggling to herself as Barret tried to tell them a story about Cloud, but halfway through the story he knocked his glass over into his lap and started cursing. Vincent smiled and Tifa burst into laughter, reaching down to grab a towel for him as he tried to change the subject.

The door swung open and everyone stopped to look up as Cloud stepped inside. He paused for a moment, then Yuffie dropped her glass when she realized her father had stepped in the door behind him.

"Dad!" She shrieked and leapt from her seat, dashing across the room to leap on him as he opened his arms for a hug. He hugged her for a few minutes before pushing her back and staring at her in disbelief.

"Yuffie, you're all grown up!" His voice wavered slightly, but he smiled and pulled her back into a hug.

"What are you doing here?" Yuffie asked in slight confusion. She looked up in time to see Zack walk in the door behind him, offering her a polite wave as he crossed the room to stand beside Cloud at the bar.

She watched in curiosity as Tifa rushed around the bar to give him a hug.

"I never thought we'd see you again!" Tifa put a hand to her mouth and wrapped an arm around Cloud's waist. "Cloud told me he'd been talking to you, but I didn't believe him when he said you were coming out here…" She let out a laugh and rested her head on Cloud's shoulder.

"Yea, I almost didn't when I found those old pictures. It's such a hellhole out here. But then I felt sorry for poor Yuffie getting trapped out here with this jerk." He let a hand fall on Vincent's shoulder. "Speaking of which, what the hell happened to you?" He grinned down at him, and Vincent couldn't help but smile.

"Come on, Tifa, I need a drink after that damn drive!" He smiled sweetly at her and she laughed again, moving back behind the bar to start making more drinks for everyone.

Godo finally followed Yuffie over to a table beside the bar, and Yuffie eagerly introduced him to everyone. She paused for a moment when her eyes fell on Vincent, and couldn't help but let out a laugh. He seemed perfectly normal to her, but Godo hadn't seen him in years…

"Ah, I see you're fitting in just fine, Vincent." Godo said with a grin. He glanced around the room again and tried to ignore the curious eyes fixated on him. He took a moment to accept a glass from Tifa, then took a seat at the table and locked eyes with Vincent.

Yuffie watched them awkwardly for a few minutes before trying to relax and finish her third glass. She didn't really want to get drunk in front of her dad, but the way he kept staring at Vincent was making her want to run and hide… She had no idea that Zack knew Cloud and Tifa, but she knew they all must have been talking about her and Vincent, and on the long trip here things must have come up between Zack and her father. Things had calmed down considerably over the past year and a half, but everyone still loved talking about all the exciting things that happened when Elena came here hunting Yuffie… She was sure Godo was watching for any reason to hate Vincent after everything they'd been through.

"So Vincent." Godo broke the silence between them since Zack had started an exciting conversation with everyone else. Yuffie's eyes darted between her father and her entirely-too-relaxed husband nervously.

"What did you get my baby for her birthday?" He asked curiously. Tifa paused to look over at them, and after a few moments everyone had turned to watch him as he set down his glass.

He leaned back and reached into his pocket, moving slowly and catching Yuffie's gaze as he pulled his hand back out and showed it to her. It took her a moment to realize he was holding a ring. It was fairly simple, silver with what she hoped weren't diamonds. She had a vague memory of telling him she didn't want anyone to spend any money on her birthday presents this year, but he generally ignored her when she said things like that.

"Aww… I wish I could find a guy that would buy me a ring…" Tifa said in a dreamy voice. Cloud gave her a hurt look, and Zack started laughing.

"What a charmer. Better late than never!" Zack called out.

Yuffie wasn't sure what to do when he scooted closer and took her hand. She felt her face heat up as she watched him slide it onto her finger, then casually kiss her cheek and relax in his chair. Her eyes were glued to it for a long time. The conversation shifted and Yuffie continued to stare at the ring. She couldn't figure out exactly how she felt about it. Of course it was an incredibly sweet present, but they had been married for two years and not having a ring had never really bothered her. She hadn't wanted him to spend any money on her, it made her uncomfortable. But then again, the fact that he'd gotten her one meant he'd been thinking about their relationship…

She forced herself to look away and take several gulps from her glass. After a few more minutes she felt ditzy enough to get back into the group.

**x:X:x**

"Are you sure it's alright?" Yuffie asked worriedly. Tifa smiled and nodded.

"It's fine. He's already asleep anyway. Don't worry about it!" She reassured the younger girl and gave her a gentle hug.

"You go home and have fun, I'll see you in the morning." Tifa didn't give her a chance to respond as she pushed her towards the door. Vincent was waiting patiently for her, and wound an arm around her waist.

"Goodnight, you two!" Tifa waved as she quickly shut the door behind them, and Yuffie stared up at Vincent with wide eyes.

"She kicked us out…" She muttered.

"It's getting late, she probably wants to go to sleep." Vincent pointed out. Yuffie mumbled darkly, but tightened her grip around his arm as he led her down the street toward home.

They were halfway home when Vincent noticed Yuffie staring at her ring again. Her hand was hovering in front of her and her head was tilted to the side in thought.

"Did you have a good day?" He asked cautiously. She looked up at him and smiled, resting her cheek against his arm.

"Of course…" She said softly. "Did you know Cloud talked Zack into bringing my dad out here for my birthday?"

Vincent smiled to himself, but looked down at her and shook his head.

"I was just as surprised as you." He said gently.

She smiled to herself and bit at her lip thoughtfully. It had certainly been an interesting night. Her father had gotten along with Vincent much better than she'd expected. She wasn't so sure about tomorrow, when he would want to see where they lived and what they'd been doing for a living. Yuffie had started working at the bar lately, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know what her father was going to think of Vincent's job… He seemed disturbed enough noticing that his son-in-law had developed a striking resemblance to a vampire.

"Are you alright?"

She looked up to see Vincent gazing down at her with a somewhat worried expression. She could see their house lit up in the moonlight behind him, and she shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Yea, long day." She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt.

A breeze blew past them down the street, throwing his cloak up around her before it settled and he tightened his grip on her shoulders. He placed a gentle kiss to the side of her neck, then slid his hand to her lower back and led her to the front door.

_The End_


End file.
